Settlement Day

November 19 is Settlement Day in Belize, one of the most popular and important holidays here and the biggest celebration is held in my town of Dangriga. First, I encourage everyone to read my blog about the Garifuna to understand the background on the ethnic group that this holiday celebrates.

The first group of Garifuna arrived in Belize in the town of Dangriga on November 19, 1832. They’ve been here ever since and have celebrated their ancestors arrival with a mix of tradition, culture, drinking, and partying. I’ve been hearing lots about this holiday since I arrived and everyone told me to be ready for a great time. I have to admit I kept my expectations low since I hadn’t been all that impressed with other holiday celebrations here but I was pleasantly surprised at the fun I had this past weekend.

Schools across the country celebrated Culture Week leading up to Settlement Day last weekend. Students were allowed to wear their traditional outfits instead of uniforms to school so throughout town it was fun to see all the students in their colorful clothes headed to school in the morning. They also did activities to learn about the many cultures that make up Belize. On Friday, all the primary schools in Dangriga came to the park across the street from my house to celebrate Settlement Day together. There was a re-enactment of the boat landing at the park and then a nice program organized by the district education center. They presented some information about the history of the Garifuna and then each school did a presentation they had prepared. Some had short plays, others sang, while others drummed and danced. Finally, two well known musicians performed for the students and talked to them about the importance of keeping their culture alive. They then had the afternoon off so were running around town excited for the festivities.

Thousands of people from around Belize, Central America, and the world descended on Dangriga last Thursday and Friday for the celebrations. Belizeans that have migrated to the United States often come back every year to celebrate Settlement Day. Hundreds of tourists also were in town. I’ve never seen so many people here and the entire town was transformed. Thursday night people were wandering the street and there were several different concerts and performances going on around the town on makeshift stages. We saw traditional drummers and dancers as well as well-known musicians from Dangriga that perform the more contemporary punta rock that is based off traditional Garifuna music. Most people stayed up all night partying. I only made it until 9 pm but I heard music blasting all night long. Roaming groups of drummers canvassed the town for two nights before Nov 19 stopping at many houses and performing with the expectation they’d receive a little money to help cover the cost of their costumes. You also are allowed to join these groups and continue roaming with them throughout the town. It’s a little like Christmas caroling.

After a full night of drinking and partying, everyone congregated at the river at 6 am for the official re-enactment of the Garifuna’s arrival. We got up early to go see this but of course it happened on Belizean time and didn’t arrive until after 7 am. While we were still half-asleep, it was entertaining to watch all the folks that were still partying from the night before. Finally a canoe with three men paddled up the river and then paddled back out into the ocean. We were confused and wondered if this was it but then realized these were scouts coming to check if Dangriga was an acceptable place to land. A little later, three larger boats (disappointedly they were motor boats) full of people, came up the river dressed in traditional clothes and singing and dancing. The Garifuna had arrived in Dangriga.

Later that morning, a program was held at the park by my house. Many community leaders spoke about the importance of preserving their culture and teaching the young about their traditions. They also had several performances. I enjoyed watching it from the balcony of my house but loved the people watching even more. Many people wore traditional outfits which you occasionally see around town throughout the year but were much more common for this holiday. Following the program, there was a parade down the main street. Many schools had bands and dance or flag troops that performed as well as different organizations from town that had floats. Local companies had floats and handed out samples including several rum companies that were throwing out small bottles! There were lots of dancers and several famous musicians singing on the top of semi trucks. Overall it was a fun parade.

The rest of the day and evening were spent wandering around town, talking to people that we ran into, drinking, watching different performers, and just enjoying the festivities. The town was transformed for a few days to celebrate the traditions and the work of their ancestors and also to have a great time partying and dancing into the future. It was a great mix of young and old, foreigners and locals, and the ancient and the modern. Nobody can say the Garifuna don’t know how to throw a good party!

I've posted some pictures from the weekend.