This week, we celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day, an annual spotlight on the unique culture of the Garifuna people of Belize. Read on for more information about the Garifuna culture and how you can join this year’s festivities.

The History of the Garifuna

In 1635, two Spanish ships carrying enslaved Africans wrecked near St. Vincent. The survivors integrated with the existing Carib and Arawakan population, marrying, procreating and creating a new ethnic group.

In 1798, after a long period of battling with European colonisers, the Garifuna were exiled to Roatan. From Roatan, they populated the areas of Central America that are now Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, arriving in Dangriga, Belize on 19 November 1802.

Today, the Garifuna are a transnational group with homes in the United States and across Central and South America. The Garifuna culture has been recognised by UNESCO as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” In Belize, Garifuna Settlement Day is one of the largest and most vibrant annual festivals, celebrated all across the country.

How to Celebrate

• Learn about Garifuna Culture

The Gulisi Garifuna Museum in Dangriga offers a comprehensive look at the history of the Garifuna people, their customs and culture. The museum’s garden grows a wealth of traditional plants and herbs that are still widely in use amongst Garifuna.

• Drum and Dance

Music is a big part of Garifuna culture, and drums are the heartbeat of that music. On Garifuna Settlement Day, the sound of Primero and Segundo drums will fill the air at lively parades and dances.

• Take in a Landing Reenactment

In Dangriga, reenactments of the Garifuna’s first landing in Belize are a part of the day’s festivities. Dug-out canoes are rowed up to shore carrying sugar cane, cassava and plantain to represent the foods that the Garifuna brought with them.

• Eat

Try some delicious traditional Garifuna meals, such as Bundiga (fish cooked in coconut milk with green banana and okra), conch soup, Ereba (cassava bread), and Darasa (banana tamales).

Happy Garifuna Settlement Day!

Sources: Island Expeditions, Belize.com, Chabil Mar Villas, Absolute Belize, Belize Hub