Created by Belizean civil rights activist Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941, Garifuna Settlement Day is a public holiday in Belize, celebrated each year on November 19th. This important local holiday celebrates the settlement of the Garifuna people in Belize after being exiled from the Grenadines by the British army, with the Garifuna arriving here by dory (dug-out canoe).
Garifuna Settlement Day was recognized as a public holiday in the southern districts of Belize in 1943, and declared a national holiday in 1977. The major festivities for the holiday occur in the town of Dangriga, including parades, street music, and traditional dancing, and is celebrated the entire week by all Garifuna communities in the country.
In places like Dangriga and Punta Gorda, a dory symbolizing the arrival of the first Garinagu floats to shore around the time of early morning dawn while local Garinagu women dressed in their colorful costumes, excited tourists, and other folks await its arrival on shore.
This is a great time to be down here at Captain Morgan’s to get in on the celebrations! Hope to see you here!
