Garifuna Settlement Day 2024 in Belize

Garifuna Settlement Day is the most significant annual holiday for the Garifuna people of Belize, primarily residing in the southern region around Dangriga. Celebrated on November 19th, the holiday marks the day the Garifuna people migrated from the Grenadines to Belize. The festivities include vibrant parades, street parties, live music, drumming, and dancing. Reenactments of the Garifuna people's arrival are a central feature of the celebrations, reflecting their rich cultural heritage and historical journey.

Traditional Celebrations

Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated throughout the week with vibrant festivities, including parades, live music, drumming, dancing, and prayers. The Garinagu culture, known for its rich musical and dance traditions, especially highlights drumming during the celebration. A key feature of the holiday is the reenactment of the Garifuna people’s first landing, with boats coming ashore carrying cassava sticks, plantain suckers, and sugarcane—symbolizing the food they brought with them. Traditional Garifuna food treats enjoyed during the holiday include fish cooked in coconut milk, chicken, bananas, plantain mash, and cassava.

Dangriga

Although Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated throughout Belize, Dangriga hosts the most extensive week-long festivities, as this is where the Garifuna people first arrived. The streets are closed off to accommodate the celebrations, with DJs and sound systems providing lively music. Food vendors are set up throughout the area, offering a variety of traditional treats and creating a vibrant atmosphere for the celebrations.

Origins of Garifuna Settlement Day

Today, approximately 17,000 Garifuna people live in Belize. Their ancestors were enslaved West Africans who survived a shipwreck and settled on the island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. There, they mixed with local indigenous tribes and adopted their language. Later, they were exiled by the British army and resettled along the Caribbean coast in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. A significant group of Garifuna arrived in Dangriga in 1802, establishing a lasting presence in the region.