When is Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize?
Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated each year on November 19th. This is one of the most important holidays in Belize. It celebrates the arrival of the Garifuna people onto the shores of Belize on November 19th, 1802.
Where did the Garifuna come from?
From Roatan, the Garifuna migrated to the mainland of Honduras and settled all along the Caribbean coast of Belize (then British Honduras), Guatemala and Nicaragua. According to legend, the first Garifuna arrived in British Honduras on November 19, 1802. Garifuna Settlement Day marks this important day in their history in Belize.
Where did the Garifuna migrate to Honduras?
In 1798 part of the population were exiled to the Island of Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. From Roatan, the Garifuna migrated to the mainland of Honduras and settled all along the Caribbean coast of Belize (then British Honduras), Guatemala and Nicaragua.

What was Garifuna Settlement Day called?
The holiday was created by Belizean civil rights activist, Thomas Vincent Ramos, in 1941....Garifuna Settlement DayObserved byBelizeDate19 NovemberNext time19 November 2022Frequencyannual
How is Garifuna Settlement Day celebrated?
Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated for the entire week including parades, live music, drumming, dancing and prayers. The first landing of the Garifuna is reenacted with boats coming ashore carrying cassava sticks, plantain suckers and sugarcane representing the food the Garifuna people bought with them.
Who is the founder of Garifuna Settlement Day?
activist Thomas Vincent RamosCommemorating the first arrival of the Garifuna people in 1832, the national holiday of Garifuna Settlement Day was created by Belizean civil rights activist Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941, which wasn't recognized as a public and bank holiday until 1977.
When did Garifuna Settlement Day became a national celebration?
Using dugout canoes, the Garifuna pushed on to avoid British maritime forces, eventually arriving in Belize on November 19, 1802. Their contributions to Belizean society were formally recognized in 1975 when Garifuna Settlement Day first became a national holiday.
What language is Garifuna?
Arawakan languageGarífuna language, formerly also called Black Carib language, an Arawakan language spoken by approximately 190,000 people in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and also by many who have emigrated to the United States.
What is the Garifuna tradition?
Afro-Caribbean Garifuna culture combines Caribbean fishing and farming traditions with a mixture of South American and African music, dance and spirituality. UNESCO declared Garifuna language, dance and music in Belize to be a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” in 2001.
What does the word Garifuna mean?
Definition of Garifuna : a member of a people of African and American Indian descent that live mainly along the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. — called also Black Carib. also : the Arawakan language containing many Cariban elements spoken by the Garifunas.
Where did the Garinagu originated from?
Caribbean island of St VincentGarifuna, also known as Garinagu, are the descendants of an Afro-indigenous population from the Caribbean island of St Vincent who were exiled to the Honduran coast in the eighteenth century and subsequently moved to Belize.
How many Garifuna live in Belize?
Today it is estimated that there are about 200,000 speakers of the Garifuna language in Central America. Find out more about the Garifuna Culture in Belize in this video: If you go: Join us on a Belize adventure vacation and celebrate Garifuna life in Belize.
Why do we celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day?
Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated each year on November 19th and marks the arrival of the Garifuna people to the shores of Belize from 1832. This holiday is celebrated throughout Belize, but especially in Dangriga, the spiritual capital of the Garifuna people.
Where is the Garifuna festival?
Annual Garifuna Festival Punta Gorda is located in the Bay Islands of Honduras. The festival includes animated theatrical performances that celebrate the first arrival of the very first Garifuna group from Yurime, which is a small region east of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
Why did the Garifuna settle in Belize?
The history of the Garifuna people began over 400 years ago when South American Carib Indians migrated up to the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The primary goal of this migration was for the Carib Indians to conquer the Arawak Indians, who were the original inhabitants of the island.
Why do we celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day?
Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated each year on November 19th and marks the arrival of the Garifuna people to the shores of Belize from 1832. This holiday is celebrated throughout Belize, but especially in Dangriga, the spiritual capital of the Garifuna people.
Where is the Garifuna festival?
Annual Garifuna Festival Punta Gorda is located in the Bay Islands of Honduras. The festival includes animated theatrical performances that celebrate the first arrival of the very first Garifuna group from Yurime, which is a small region east of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.
What year did Garifuna Settlement Day given a public and bank holiday for the entire country of Belize?
Garifuna Settlement Day was created by Belizean civil rights activist, Thomas Vincent Ramos, in 1941. The day then became a national holiday in 1977.
What is the Garifuna clothing?
Traditional Garifuna colors are yellow, black, and white: women often wear long dresses sewn from checkered material along with colorful head pieces. Men don their colorful “dashiki”: a long shirt made from similar materials as that of the women's outfits. The shirts are not buttoned, but they drape elegantly.
When was the Garifuna settlement celebrated?
After rising up against the British, the Garifuna were pursued through the Caribbean, ultimately making their ways to the shores of Belize on November 19, 1802, a day now celebrated as a national holiday known as Garifuna Settlement Day. Why You Have to Attend a Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration on Your Vacation.
What is the national holiday of Garifuna?
Garifuna Settlement Day is a national holiday in Belize and celebrated throughout the country with a strong focus on towns and villages with a large population of Garifuna such as Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Hopkins, and Seine Beight.
What are the Garifuna people?
Any visitor who has had the good fortune of traveling to villages like Hopkins or Seine Beight or the town of Dangriga knows that the Garifuna people are a unique and special contribution to Belizean society. With a strong focus on storytelling, drumming, dancing, and preserving traditional livelihoods like farming and fishing, the Garifuna have added their own special contribution to Belizean food, music, and culture.
What is the Garifuna's contribution to Belize?
With a strong focus on storytelling, drumming, dancing, and preserving traditional livelihoods like farming and fishing, the Garifuna have added their own special contribution to Belizean food, music, and culture. On November 19, the entire country turns out to celebrate the arrival of the Garifuna to the shores of Belize nearly 200 years ago.
When did the Garifuna settle in Belize?
Over time, these African peoples began to intermarry with local Arawak and Carib peoples, mixing traditions, languages, and music to form the Garifuna culture. After rising up against the British, the Garifuna were pursued through the Caribbean, ultimately making their ways to the shores of Belize on November 19, 1802, a day now celebrated as a national holiday known as Garifuna Settlement Day.
Where is the Garifuna dugout?
Traditional Garifuna dugout canoes filled with locals dressed in traditional garb will re-enact the arrival of the Garifuna on the shores of Belize nearly 200 years ago. On the beach, the celebration will commence with plenty of drumming, dancing, music, and food.
Where did the Garifuna settle?
From Roatan, the Garifuna migrated to the mainland of Honduras and settled all along the Caribbean coast of Belize (then British Honduras), Guatemala and Nicaragua. According to legend, the first Garifuna arrived in British Honduras on November 19, 1802. Garifuna Settlement Day marks this important day in their history in Belize.
When was the first Garifuna holiday celebrated in Belize?
This is one of the most important holidays in Belize. It celebrates the arrival of the Garifuna people onto the shores of Belize on November 19th , 1802. This holiday is celebrated for the entire week throughout Belize but especially in Dangriga, where the first Garifuna people landed.
What is the traditional food of Garifuna?
Traditional Garifuna dishes such as serre (fish boiled in coconut milk), hudut (mashed plantain) and cassava served in a variety of forms are also a significant part of the celebrations.