One of the more important holidays any country celebrates is its independence and Belize is no different. While everyone enjoys a day off from work and a long weekend holiday weekend, there are often many festivities associated in September to celebrate Belize’s Independence, typically called “September Celebrations.” The 10th of September is the Battle of St. George’s Caye and the weekend in between is the annual carnival. Then, the day patriarchal pride is held on September 21st.
On September 21, 1981, the country of Belize officially became independent of England. It was a cause for great celebrations and that happens still to this day. The events start off the day before with a public gathering with speeches and everyone awaiting the countdown to the official day of Independence. At midnight the master of ceremonies yells out Happy Independence Day Belize followed by a barrage of fireworks. The following day is the Independence march in each town.
Las year I had the opportunity to join Erin in celebrating on the island of Caye Caulker. We stayed in the Penthouse Suite of Costa Maya Hotel. Being in the tallest building in Caye Caulker, close to ‘The Split’ offers great views.
On the eve of Independence, we stayed in to watch the fireworks, as we were both saving up our energy for touring around the island and watching the parade the following day. I always enjoy watching fireworks, and this particular evening a double treat as we could also see the fireworks from Ambergris Caye where we both live.
On Caye Caulker, the parade passes directly in front of Costa Maya Hotel. In comparison to other celebrations around the country, it was small, but there was still a lot of Belizean spirit. There were small floats decorated and all the parade participants were dressed up in typical Caribbean costumes. It was very different from what I am accustomed to seeing in Belize City where I grew up, but just as fulfilling on our little island escape.
At the end of the parade, there is normally a gathering, called “jump up,” at the central park to continue the festivities. We went by for a little while, but ended up going to The Split to get in the water and away from the heat.
Now, for September Celebrations 2015, I spent the weekend in the Cayo District (Santa Elena) and watched their parade. A lot of the traditional items were present, with military and police officers marching, floats, and so on. One of the more unique items of the parade in the towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena is they have horses in the parade.
These towns have deep roots in farming and the ranch lifestyle. Therefore, the use and presence of horses is commonplace throughout the town. So much so, that there is an entire section in the parade that features horses and horse riders dressed up with flags and the colors of Belize.
Unexpectedly, this year’s Independence Day parade in San Pedro Town was postponed at the last minute due to inclement weather to September 27, 2015. I had hoped to watch the parade and share photos of this year’s event; however, I was under the weather and home sick. Sadly, I didn’t get the opportunity to see the parade, but I’ll leave you with an awesome video by Island Films showing some of the day’s festivities and what makes September Celebrations so special in Belize!
San Pedro Independence Jump-Up ParadeThe San Pedro Town Council would like to thank everyone for assisting all the events in celebration of Belize’s Independence. We are really grateful for your cooperation and understanding when we decided to postpone the parade to a later date due to weather conditions.We would like to applaud all those who participated in the parade; this was only possible because of you. Thanks to your beautiful and elaborate costumes and decorations, San Pedro had a great and successful Independence Parade.Special thanks to Island Films for documenting the parade for us, Astrum Helicopters for helping us revive the Flying Piñata tradition, the San Pedro Music & Dance Academy for their high spirit and charm, and DJ Debbie for always making us have a great time!Thank you San Pedro for making this event possible once again. We hope everyone enjoyed all the events – from the Miss San Pedro Pageant, Independence Eve and the Parade to the Color After Party with Gilharry 7 & DJ Debbie and the Flying Piñata. The San Pedro Town Council keeps on working hard in making these events possible for everyone to enjoy. If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve our celebrations, please feel free to inbox us or email us at sptb@btl.net.Long Live San Pedro! Long Live Belize!•Video Courtesy of Island FilmsEl Ayuntamiento de San Pedro quisiera darle las gracias a todos por asistir a los eventos que se llevaron a cabo en celebración de la independencia de Belize. Estamos mas que agradecidos por su cooperación y comprensión en el momento que se decidió cambiar la fecha del desfile por razones del clima.Queremos aplaudir a aquellos que participaron en el desfile. El desfile fue posible únicamente por sus participaciones. Gracias a sus preciosos trajes y decoraciones San Pedro pudo presenciar de un desfile de independencia en grande.Queremos mencionar especialmente a nuestros colaboradores que nos ayudaren en hacer esto posible: A Island Films por documentar el desfile , a Astrum Helicopters en ayudarnos a revivir la tradición de la Piñata Voladora, a la academia de musica y danza de San Pedro por su energía y entusiasmo y a DJ Debbie que siempre nos hace pasar un buen tiempo.Gracias San Pedro por hacer todo esto posible año tras año. Esperamos que todos se hayan divertido en los eventos – desde el certamen de Miss San Pedro, la noche de Independencia de Belize, y la fiesta de colores con Gilharry 7 y DJ debbie, hasta la Piñata Voladora. El Ayuntamiento de San Pedro sigue trabajando arduamente en realizando estos eventos para que todos disfruten.Si tienen algún comentario o sugerencia en como podríamos mejorar nuestras celebraciones, por favor contáctenos por inbox o mándenos un correo a sptb@btl.net.Que Viva San Pedro! Que Viva Belize!•Video cortesía de Island Films
Posted by San Pedro Town Council on Tuesday, September 29, 2015
