11-18 to 11-19-2017 Garifuna Settlement Day Concert and Reenactment

The night before Settlement Day there is always a big concert with many bands that ends around 6 am the next day, and we
actually managed to stay up all night for it.

When the concert ends around sunrise, everyone heads to the beach.

Our friend Marcia hung with us all night and the next morning.

Around 8 am or so the Yurumein (reenactment of the Garinagu people landing in Belize) begins. Of course, now they use
skiffs and other motorized boats instead of the traditional dory boats (wooden canoes).

 

Our friend and her young daughter are wearing traditional Garifuna dress.

There is a lot of drumming and singing, then a procession leads into the nearby Catholic Church.

There is a very informative Wikipedia article about the Garifuna culture and history. (We've been taught that Garifuna refers to the culture and the language, while Garinagu refers to the people themselves.)