Garifuna Settlement Day, Belize

Settlement day in Belize is a good time for many reasons.

November 19th is Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize. Settlement Day celebrates the day when the Garifuna people migrated from the Grenadines to Belize. There are many celebrations during this time and reenactments of the day the Garifuna people arrived.

Although there are celebrations all over the country, Dangriga is where you find many week-long celebrations because this is where the Garifuna people arrived. Although. I stayed in Placencia during my trip but went to Dangriga to party and celebrate. The streets are blocked off, DJs and sound systems are playing music from the speakers, and food vendors are all over. This was the most fun I’ve had on vacation besides traveling out of the country for carnival. I was entirely in my element, eating and dancing the night away. Belize reminds me of where my family is from in Jamaica, so I felt very safe and at home at the same time. There was something very nostalgic about the community there.

I had so much fun partying the day before Settlement Day I overslept and missed the reenactment the next day! However, I was able to catch the celebrations in Placencia, which entailed the children and elders of the community performing traditional African dances that the Garifuna people perform during the ceremony. They taught me how to dance to Punta, their traditional music. My heart was so full. My wish is to be able to go every year and bring more people with me to experience the joy I felt learning about the history and culture of the Garifuna people.