Leading up to the Garifuna Settlement Day, celebrated annually on November 19th, the San Pedro Branch of the National Garifuna Council has prepared and released their calendar of events. The different activities are organized in collaboration with the local authorities via the San Pedro Cultural Committee. This year, the national celebrations are being held under the theme 'Lawanserun Garifunaduau: Hadasi Sun Garinagu! - Garifuna Progress: A Task For All Garinagu!'
The activities with Culture Sundays on November 4th and 11th, with a traditional Garifuna food, drumming, and live entertainment starting at 1PM in the Central Park in downtown San Pedro. On Saturday, November 10th there will also be a fashion show showcasing the traditional clothing of the Garifuna culture.
November 12th through to the 16th is Cultural Awareness Week, and events include presentations at the various island schools. Students are asked to participate in Cultural Dress every Friday until November 19th, by wearing yellow, black and white outfits, which are the traditional Garifuna colours. This year, there will also be a Garifuna Translation Competition among students of various primary schools of the island at the Lions Den on Friday, November 16th.
On Sunday, November 18th the official celebrations to commemorate the 185th anniversary of the arrival of the Garinagu to Belize will start from 8PM. There will be live cultural presentations, music and of course drumming all night long to bring in the 19th. On Monday, November 19th the festivities will commence with the official Yurumein which is a reenactment of the arrival of the Garifuna to Belize, followed by a parade through the streets of San Pedro Town. Everyone is then invited to the Central Park where there will also be lots of food and live music all day long.
The Garifuna people arrived in Belize in 1832 after they left their native St. Vincent in the Caribbean. Their cultural contribution to Belize has been so positive that in 1977, under the leadership of the late Premier George Price, November 19th was officially declared a public and bank holiday. The National Garifuna Council, along with The San Pedro Town Council and the Cultural Committee on the island wishes everyone a Happy Garifuna Settlement Day!
Garifuna Settlement Day - A chance to learn about a vibrant people
The vibrant culture of the Garifuna people graced our shores in 1832, and every year on November 19th, Belize honors their arrival with a holiday. November is a celebration of drumming, dancing, laughter and an appreciation for one of our more colorful ethnic groups.
Re-enactments tell the story of both the survival and flourishing of a resilient people, descendants of Arawak Indians and African slaves. All across the country, various activities are planned for the weeks leading up to the big holiday, and San Pedro Town is no exception. Besides Cultural Sundays, complete with live music and dancing at the Central Park, there will also be a fashion show on November 10th. November 12th through the 16th will be Cultural Awareness Week, and the grand finale for that week will be a fun Garifuna Translation Contest! Sunday November 18th will be another Sunday of music, food and dance, bringing in the big day on Monday November 19th.
Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the My Beautiful Belize Blog
National Garifuna Council San Pedro Branch invites island residents and visitors to be part of their celebrations.
Dress up and show your colors and join us every night commencing tomorrow, Thursday. Join the parade on Sunday, decorate your cart or bicycle. *Monday, November 19 (correction on flyer)
Sponsored by: NGC National Branch, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and San Pedro Town Board, Castillo's Hardware, Andre Perez Casa Pan Dulce, Victoria House, Ramon's Village, Las Terrazas, Caribbean Depot.
Activities are ongoing to celebrate the arrival of the Garifuna to Belizean shores. Here in Belize City, Lerisi Garifunaduau will be the venue for a mega concert on November eighteen featuring cultural artists from Belize and Honduras. This will be followed by the reenactment of the arrival leading to a procession to the Saint Martin's Church on the nineteenth. There will be a full day of activities to celebrate the Garifuna culture including its music, food and dance. News Five's Isani Cayetano has the lineup.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
This November nineteenth promises to be eventful, with activities chiefly taking place in Dangriga, Belize City and Punta Gorda.� The occasion will begin and end with all-day drumming, singing and dancing, an overall festive spirit throughout the extended weekend.� In Belize City, all roads will lead to Lerisi Garifuna Restaurant where the National Garifuna Council has partnered with proprietor Adette Tillett Nolberto to pay homage to the day that was founded by Thomas Vincent Ramos.
"The events are so packed that we could not do it in one day, so we're doing it in two days starting on eighteenth night when we have a concert and that concert will be featuring Grupo Wani and Libanya Marasa out of Honduras, as well as C-Wills, Taprick and Concego and the Laru Beya Band.� We start at ten p.m. and we go all the way up until five a.m. on nineteenth morning.� Right here in the parking lot of Lirisi which is across the street from the Celebrity Restaurant and in the same parking lot as the Balloon Bar.� So that is the eighteenth activities.� At five a.m., once we're done with the concert then the National Garifuna Council takes over to start the reenactment process.� The crowd will be leaving from Lirisi's parking lot.� We're going to be walking just a short distance to the pier on Marine Parade and that's where those persons who will be participating in the actual reenactment will be entering the canoe and will come out by BelCan.� Once they reach by BelCan, the reenactment will happen, we will have a parade to St. Martin's Church where we are going to have the official mass for the nineteenth morning.� And after that mass, a parade will happen from St. Martin's back to Lerisi's parking lot where the official opening ceremonies will be taking place.� So we're thinking that should be around ten a.m. and it should last an hour.� So as at eleven a.m., that is when Lirisi takes over from the National Garifuna Council and we start our events and our events go from eleven a.m. all the way until six p.m. on the nineteenth.� We're going to be having several events, including the mali which is the spirituality aspect of our culture and after the mali, we then have the jankunu dancing contest.� We're going to be having hudut eating contest, we're having uraga contest which is story telling.� We're also going to be having two demonstrations: the cassava bread making competition and the charikanari dance competition.� Ugundani Dance Group has teamed up with us and they are going to also be here demonstrating the different Garifuna dances as well for us on November nineteenth."
At the center of Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations is the reenactment of Yurumein. Yurumein is the Garifuna word which means Homeland, it is a public reenactment of the epic journey of the Garifuna people from their homeland in St. Vincent to the shores of Belize The Yurumein is re-enacted in every major community where the Garinagu reside and presents itself as one of Belize's prominent cultural celebrations. Other cultures of Belize have come to appreciate this annual celebration and it in fact contributes to our collective understanding of the Belizean identity. It is only hoped that the knowledge of Yurumein will be passed on to younger generations of Belizeans and thereby allow Garifuna Culture to remain an integral part of the Belizean way of life.
Garifuna Settlement Day was observed on Monday, November 19, 2012, that made for a long holiday weekend of celebration throughout the country of Belize.
The Garinagu community of San Pedro was nothing shy of showing off their rich culture, especially when it came to the drumming and dancing. Activities surrounding the day of celebration started off early with cultural drumming at Central Park, School visits, translation competitions and much more.
The major social event was held at Central Park on the eve of Garifuna Settlement Day where the Garinagu held celebratory drumming and dancing performances through the night. The traditional Yurumei which is the reenactment of the Garinagu's arrival to Belize took place at 1:00pm on Monday, November 19, 2018 followed by short parade through town.
Click here to read the rest of the article and see LOTS more photos in the Ambergris Today
Garifuna Settlement Day Videos from around Belize:
(Yurumein) Garifuna Settlement Day, 14min.
At the center of Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations is the reenactment of Yurumein. Yurumein is the Garifuna word which means Homeland, it is a public reenactment of the epic journey of the Garifuna people from their homeland in St. Vincent to the shores of Belize The Yurumein is re-enacted in every major community where the Garinagu reside and presents itself as one of Belize's prominent cultural celebrations. Other cultures of Belize have come to appreciate this annual celebration and it in fact contributes to our collective understanding of the Belizean identity. It is only hoped that the knowledge of Yurumein will be passed on to younger generations of Belizeans and thereby allow Garifuna Culture to remain an integral part of the Belizean way of life.
The start of the cultural activities began on Sunday evening with a brief ceremony held at Central Park. President of the NGC San Pedro Branch, Alex Noralez welcomed and thanked the audience for joining in the celebration.
Giving formalities to the event was Mayor Daniel Guerrero, who shared a few remarks. He commended the Garifuna people on their valuable contribution to the country and for their rich culture which continues to thrive in this modern era. Guerrero encouraged everyone to be respectful and to work together in order to build up our communities and Belize.
The celebration culminated the following day with the traditional Yurumein, which is a dramatization of the arrival of the Garifuna to Belize. The re-enactment took place shortly after 1PM in front of the Central Park. Hundreds of residents and visitors flocked to the beach to witness this memorable moment for the Garinagu. The Yurumein included three boats arriving on the beaches of downtown San Pedro, complete with joyful singing and drumming.
Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun
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