What a weekend – full of live music, beating of the drums, tons of dancing and even a fashion show. Garifuna Settlement Day was definitely one not to forget this year, with celebrations not concentrated on one day alone, but several days leading up to November 19.
To kick off the calendar of events a food expo and a Garifuna fashion show were held on Saturday, November 12, 2016. The following day, the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church hosted a special Garifuna mass.
On Friday, November 18 a cultural show, followed by live music and drumming took place at Central Park. The Garinagu invited everyone to dance the night away. There was no time to sleep as the celebration moved into the morning hours.
The national holiday in honor of the Garinagu arriving to Belize is commemorated with a reenactment of the Garifuna coming into the country’s shores on canoe and boats. That took place at 6:30a.m. on Saturday, November 19, followed by a mass at the Catholic Church. Downtown San Pedro woke up with the beat of the drums, dance and song as the Garinagu paraded through the streets of the island. Still not tired of all the non-stop activities, more live music, food and drumming continued all they long at Central Park.
Shout out to the San Pedro Branch of the Garifuna National Council that took the time to organize and plan these events. The entire island community was pleased and enjoyed all events and activities planned for the past couple of weeks and are looking forward for next year, with the assurance of the Council that they are planning for an even bigger and better celebration.
