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Holidays
and Events
Actual Dates May Vary By Year
Official Holidays
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New
Year's Day - January 1
Baron Bliss Day - March 9
Good Friday - March or April
Holy Saturday - March or April
Easter Sunday - March or April
Easter Monday - March or April
Labour Day - May 1
Commonwealth Day - May 24
St. George's Caye Day - September 10
National Independence Day - September 21
Columbus Day - October 12
Garifuna Day - November 19
Christmas Day - December 25
Boxing Day - December |
Annual Events
January
| February | March
| April
| May
| June
July
| August
| September
| October
| November
| December
January
Fiesta de Carnaval
Exciting yearly event celebrated nationwide which brings
back traditions. Groups compete in comparsas (special
dances). Held one week before Lent.
International Bullfish Tournament
Prize of $50,000 to angler landing blue marlin over 500
pounds. Sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association.
San Pedro Carnival
Ambergris Caye. Slowly evolving from slapstick fun using
powder, flour, lipstick and paint to tease people, to
a more traditional Mestizo carnival made up of competing
comparsas.
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March
Baron Bliss Day
Celebrations held nationwide to honor this great benefactor
of Belize. Harbor regatta is held in front of the lighthouse
where he was buried. Horse and cycle races are also held.
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April
Good Friday in Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker
Special Catholic Church services. Beginning at 3p.m. most
villagers participate in procession carrying the cross
through town.
Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic
Bicycle race in Belize City, continues on Western Highway
, Circles around park in San Ignacio and returns to a
dramatic finale in Belize City. International participation.
San Jose Succotz Fiesta
Local fair celebrating the day of their patron saint.
Entertainment for kids, rides, food, marimba music.
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May
Cashew Festival
Crooked Tree Village. Celebrating the cashew harvest season.
Live punt music, cashew wine, Caribbean-style dishes,
games, folklore stories.
Cayo Expo
San Ignacio. Displays of local crafts and products. Sample
local foods.
Coconut Festival
Caye Caulker. Food, beverages, crafts. Parade with prize
for floats, coconut competition, dancing.
Commonwealth Day
Celebrated nationwide as the Queen's birthday. National
Sports Council holds horse races in Belize City at the
National Stadium and in Orange Walk Town at the People's
Stadium. Cycle races are held between Cayo and Belmopan.
Labour Day
Address by the Minister of Labour or a representative,
followed by parades and rallies held throughout the country.
Kite contest, cycle race, harbor regatta, horse race.
Toledo Festival of Arts
Week-long festivals in which school children depict various
cultural groups in the district through drama and music.
Arts and crafts exhibition includes basketry, paintings,
clay sculpture, seashells and calabash vessels.
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June
Dia de San Pedro
Three-day festival honoring St. Peter, the patron saint
of San Pedro. Early morning boat parade. Boats and fishermen
are blessed, a special mass is held and and a fiesta/jump-up
follows.
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July
Benque Viejo del Carmen Fiesta
Local fair. Celebrates the day of their patron saint with
cultural shows, marimba bands, food and games. Nine days
of prayer.
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August
Toledo Games
Olympic-like sports competition in various disciplines,
parade with lit torch through Punta Gorda.
Deer Dance Festival
San Antonio, Toledo District Week-long celebrations. Historical
reenactments, costumes, homemade harps and violins.
International Sea & Air Festival
San Pedro. A festival of music, dance, and foods from
Belize, Mexico and neighboring countries.
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September
Independence Day
Belizeans celebrate their country's independence on Sep
21. The national holiday commemorates the day in 1981
that Belize gained full independence from the United Kingdom.
Numerous cultural, religious and sporting activities held
a couple of weeks before St. George's Caye Day. Flag-raising
ceremonies, parades, street jump-ups, music, dance and
foods. Crowning of Miss San Pedro.
Mexican National Day
Orange Walk and Corozal towns people cross over into Mexico
to reunite with families and have celebrations.
St. George's Caye Day
Celebrates and commemorates a battle in 1798 when the
Spanish were defeated by slaves, Baymen and British soldiers.
Around the country similar official ceremonies and parades
take place. Carnivals, sporting activities, fire engine
parade, and pop concerts held several days prior to this
event.
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October
Belikin Spectacular
Billfish tournament with spectacular prizes. Sponsored
by the Belize Game Fish Association.
Columbus Day (Pan American Day)
Regatta racing in Belize City.
Hike & Bike for the Rain Forest
A two-day cross-country run and mountain bike race. Local
and International athletes will compete throughout the
Cayo area for the benefit of the rain forest.
Pan American Day
Orange Walk and Corozal . Fiestas and beauty contest to
celebrate Mestizo culture. Horse and cycle races. Tourism
Week: Activities include silent and Dutch auction, grand
vacation raffle drawing and fair.
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November
Garifuna Settlement Day
Festival marking the first arrival of the Garifuna in
the early 1800's to Dangriga, Stann Creek District. Parade,
cultural activities.
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December
Boxing Day
On Boxing Day (Dec 26) and New Year's Day (Jan 1), both
Garifuna and non-Carib blacks celebrate the Jonkonnu Festival,
also known as John Canoe. The origins of this tradition
are unclear. One theory holds that it was started by Jananin
Canno, a tribal chief from West Africa; another suggests
that Jonkonnu derives from the French saying gens inconnus,
which means "unknown people," apparently in
reference to the masquerade aspect of the festival. Jonkonnu
is a dancing parade that combines ancient African rituals
with a Mardi Gras style. It begins in the predawn hours
and lasts until sunrise. Costumed performers wear wire-mesh
masks painted white or pink with wide-eyed staring features
and red lips as they travel through the streets, dancing
from house to house. The dancers are accompanied by two
drums, often traditional goat-skin drums or steel drums,
and a female chorus. The rhythm played, called goombay,
is a blend of ancient African and Caribbean sounds. The
Jonkonnu Festival is held in Jamaica and the Bahamas as
well, with some variation.
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