What is the Haitian Independence Day? What is its History?

Haitian Independence Day is held on January 1st. This holiday is also called the “celebration of freedom”.

 

The holiday itself celebrates independence from France’s colonization in the country. This specific date of freedom was on January 1st, 1804. It was the first Black republic in the world to abolish slavery in the Western Hemisphere. Leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed this freedom from France once there was a slave revolt. One integral part of the holiday is eating the soup called “Soup Joumou”. Before independence, the French only ate this soup because it was believed to bring luck into their lives. They prevented the slaves from eating Soup Joumou because it would give them good fortune, but the French wanted it all to themselves. In act of rebellion, Haitians decided to make this soup tradition to eat on January 1st to take back their fortune and bring them great luck into the year.

 

Another important component of the history of the holiday is the independence flag of Haiti. Since 1803, Jean-Jacques Dessalines “tore up a French tricolor and had his granddaughter, Catherine Flon, stitch together the country’s first independent flag” (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/dining/haiti-flag-day-cooking.html). This new banner got rid of the white colors because it symbolized the strip of the white colonizers of the country (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/dining/haiti-flag-day-cooking.html). This flag is important to the holiday because it’s seen carried around the parades and celebrations.

 

For the celebration itself, many citizens gather to the city capital of Port-au-Prince to see parades and visit the National Palace on the Champs de Mars. At the capital, many people light up fireworks, sing, and dance to the national anthem. Like mentioned before with the Soup Joumou, many Haitians believe in superstitions on this holiday. This is because many people believe whatever happens on this holiday will predict how the rest of the year will go. In effect, many Haitians visit their family and friends, wear nice clothing, give back to the poor, and especially focus on musical and spiritual energy that comes from these parades. When interviewing a family friend that had Aunts and Uncles who grew up in Haiti, they said that music was a big component of the holiday. This family, who now resides in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, believed that even though they did not have much in the past as slaves, they had music to free their soul. So, it’s important to keep that medium going and “bring out the best joy from their inner self.”

 

Some important foods that are cooked up during the holiday are Griot, which is a spiced, marinated cubes of pork, with rice and beans) and twice-fried plantains. Haitians also make their own version of “Jamaican beef patties” but the crust/shell is a puff pastry instead.

 

Twice Fried Plantains.

Griot.

 

In Haiti, Independence Day is a huge deal. Thousands of people assemble in the capital city, of Haiti Port-au-Prince. In Port-au-Prince there is a huge festival with games, music and dancing. They also set off fireworks and sing their national anthem in the streets. The Haitian national anthem is about Jean-Jaques Dessalines who was the leader of the Haitian Revolution against the French when Haiti got their freedom.

Haitians in general are very superstitious people. Throughout the year they always have special customs reflecting this. One of the most prominent superstitions that Haitians have is that many believe that on January 1^st, which is Haitian Independence Day, whatever you do or happens to you will be what your upcoming year is like. This motivates everyone to have fun, be happy, perform good deeds to one another, put on nice clothes and even stay up late into the night. Even people who are poor make an effort to make January 1^sta special day so they have good luck for the rest of the upcoming year.

On Haitian Independence Day they have music, singing and dancing. Their celebratory music celebration is called RaRa. All RaRa songs are centered around large trumpets that play a repeating rhythm. Then the other instruments such as the drums, maracas, güiras and other types of instruments using bells cans all join in. Güiaras are an instrument created by the Dominican Republic that creates a small but distinctive noise when you use a pick to pluck down its body. They also use different brass horns like any other band would. Everyone dresses themselves and paints themselves with very vibrant colors and bring flags to wave during the music performance. The lyrics in RaRa are about celebrating the African half of Haiti’s history.

The origins of RaRa go back to the 17^th century when African slaves got a week off for their Holy Week. They would use this time to sing and dance to each other and it was just another way for them to communicate and have some fun during their time off from their backbreaking work. Later on these African slaves became Haitian when they were freed from slavery and gained freedom from the French. They still carried over this song and dance to their gods and it was later renamed RaRa. Music bands, singers and dancers that perform on the Independence Day practice for months before to perfect the RaRa.