Celebrations in Haiti!

Haiti is full of prideful and patriotic natives and citizens. They love to celebrate with family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers on the streets next to them. With so much cheer in their hearts, they are ones known to celebrate. Below is a list of annual festivals and celebrations held in Haiti. Independence Day is celebrated on January 1st and marks the day Haiti gained its independence from France after being colonized for hundreds of years. The public holiday is also known as New Years Day, and it is full of celebrations and traditions. Haitians are known for being very prideful, and this holiday is for them to show off their spirit. A common custom is to eat a delicacy meal such as squash soup; the soup is to express liberty and equality. On this public holiday, children are to receive gifts or offerings from facility members are members of the community. Independence Day can be counted as the most essential or celebrated holiday celebration in Haiti. In 1804 on January 1st, Haiti went down in history as the first black republic nation. In addition, Haiti was the first to abolish slavery in the Western Hemisphere.  Haiti has celebrated 216 years of independence. Ancestry Day is celebrated on January 2nd. It allows the people a day to commemorate the memories of the past important figures and ancestors who helped fight for Haiti's independence, freedom, and what they stand for today. This national holiday marks the time for celebration for the history that helped create the present. Nationalistic events are held, such as military parades, for those who gave their lives. Red, white and blue are wore to show pride. Haitian Carnival is held for several weeks up to Mardi Gras. It is a thrilling experience full of colors and exotic costumes. For people to come together, locals and outsiders, to party in parades in the streets. The Carnival ends right before Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday; thus, indulging in the food is a huge part of the celebration before the fasting period. The greatest Carnival is held in Port-au-Prince, one of the largest in the Caribbean, with much smaller one held all around the islands.  Color is used to express how the natives and locals are feeling about their pride in Haiti. Ra-Ra is held over weeks, from early January to middle April, but mostly around Easter week. Ra-Ra festivals can overlap with the Haitian Carnival season. It is a celebration oriented around music and dancing that ages back to slavery time. Tradition dances are performed to songs made with Haitian instruments, such as bamboo trumpets, drums, and maracas. The songs that are performed have a tradition of being about past, current, and future issues, such as poverty and oppression. This holiday is to bring people together and celebrate the traditions that we're made. A bamboo trumpet is shown along with a drum and other traditional instruments.  Carifesta is a well-known festival for the people of Haiti. It is an extravagant event full of music and dance to celebrate the vast number of regions among the islands, using performances as a unification point. The event varies in duration from one to three weeks, as it is different every time. The scene is known to be infectious and draws people into the dancing mood.  One of many group performances during Carifesta  Cited: Henthorn, Andrea. “The 10 Best Festivals In Haiti.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 22 Sept. 2015, theculturetrip.com/caribbean/haiti/articles/the-10-best-festivals-in-haiti/.  Shaw, Toby. “Independence Day in Haiti in 2021.” Office Holidays, Office Holidays Ltd., 1 Jan. 2020, www.officeholidays.com/holidays/haiti/haiti-independence-day.  “Celebration of Haiti's 212th Year of Independence.” Embassy of Haiti, www.haiti.org/celebration-of-haiti-s-212th-year-of-independence/.  The Haitian Times. “Haitian Carnival Is Nearly Here! How Will You Celebrate?” The Haitian Times, 5 Feb. 2019, haitiantimes.com/2019/02/05/haitian-carnival-is-nearly-here-how-will-you-celebrate/.  Says:, Paul Mcisaac, et al. “Ra-Ra, a Haitian Festival.” Gail Pellett Productions, 14 July 2019, gailpellettproductions.com/ra-ra-a-haitian-festival/.