In Haiti they have huge parades celebrating Haitian Independence Day and they all eat Soup Joumou which is a classic Haitian food. Soup Joumou is a spicy soup that was created in Haiti and is the classic food that celebrates their Independence Day. It includes Haitian beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and a ton of spices. In the late 1700s and early 1800s the French would eat this soup as a festive meal and finally when the Haitians got their Independence they all enjoyed a nice bowl of Soup Joumou to celebrate their Independence on January 1st of 1804. It is said that the wife of the general of the Haitian army, Marie-Claire Heureuse Feicite declared that everyone should celebrate and have a bowl of the Soup Joumou in celebration.
Haitian Soup Joumou
In New York, Haitian Independence Day is celebrated similarly however everything is on a smaller scale as there are not as many Haitians as there are in Haiti. They have all of the same singing, dancing and parades but it just does not take over the whole city. Haitians are very proud people of their home country so even though they are in New York and not in Haiti, they still have a huge celebration wherever they are. The Haitian embassy has over three hundred people to celebrate. They have a banquet dinner with a DJ and a singer to perform their national anthem. Everyone eats the Soup Joumou along with a huge mean including other classic Haitian dishes such as ham served with fruit, stewed turkey, black rice, fried plantains and brands of rum which are made in Haiti’s capital. They do not have a huge parade as the Haitian Parade is in May which is Haitian Heritage Month.
Celebration in Haiti
There are large Haitian communities in Brooklyn and they have parades by their house in celebration. Samuel Pierre, a resident of Little Haiti, Brooklyn expressed how in Haiti, January 1st is a full blow holiday. He said, “In Haiti everyone gathers in the center of town and celebrates by the parade and fireworks. Despite the fact that we aren’t in Haiti we still have singing dancing and sometimes even fireworks. Little Haiti has grown to become a vibrant community in which we try to replicate the independence day celebrations done in Haiti.” He also said that while Brooklyn is not Haiti they still make due.
Map of Little Haiti
Pierre spoke more about the vast Haitian community in Brooklyn called Little Haiti. According to Little Haiti’s website, Haitians are the largest immigrant group in Brooklyn at twenty percent. It is located in Flatbush right next to Prospect Park, and lasts for over 320 square blocks in total with about 160,000 Haitian immigrants living there. Little Haiti has restaurants serving Haitian food and Haitian convince stores with products from Haiti. Pierre said “They have restaurants and everything! It really is like a little Haiti.”
