Honoring the Baymen during 217th St. George’s Caye Day Celebrations
In two days of festivities, San Pedro residents commemorated the 217th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. St. September 10th is one of the main days of the September Celebrations and is a show of pride and patriotism. Among the activities held are the traditional Tribute to the Baymen, crowning of the newly elected Miss San Pedro and a uniform parade through the main streets of San Pedro Town.
Official ceremonies for St. George’s Caye Day took place on its eve, Wednesday, September 9th. The San Pedro Cultural Committee in collaboration with the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), organized several activities to bring in the big day. The night started with a country-wide tradition, the fire engine and patriotic bicycle parade. Led by the San Pedro Fire Department, the short parade made its way through the main streets of San Pedro with colorfully and artfully decorated bicycles following behind.
The parade ended at Central Park, where protocol was established. After the singing of the National Anthem and a short invocation, Jorge Aldana welcomed those in attendance. Also addressing the crowd and speaking on the importance of remembering our heritage was Mayor of San Pedro, Daniel Guerrero. After sharing a bit on the history of battle of St. George’s Caye and how the Baymen stood their ground and defended Belize from the Spanish armadas, Guerrero ended by encouraging everyone to embrace Belize’s past by honoring our forefathers.
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