(Eleuthera, Bahamas) – Many members of the Haitian/creole speaking community came together on the town park in Blackwood, North Eleuthera, to celebrate “Haiti Flag Day” / Fête du Drapeau Haitien / Fèt Drapo Ayiti – on Sunday, May 19th, 2013. Flag day (May 18th) is a major national celebration in Haiti, with a story that goes back over 210 years.
The flag represents the first raised by former African slaves in the Caribbean who dared to declare themselves free. As the legend is told, the earliest version of the current Haitian flag, was created by Jean Jacques Dessalines in Archaie, on, May 18th, 1803. After winning a battle against the French Army, Jean Jacques Dessalines took a French flag; blue, white and red; tore out the white part in symbolization of getting rid of white masters, and gave the remaining pieces to his god-daughter, Catherine Flon, who would sew the first Haitian Flag.
Young Haitian/Bahamians perform a choreographed dance to vibrant creole music
Flag day is celebrated in cities in North America and several Caribbean countries by Haitian Diaspora.
It was an afternoon of sport, dance, music and food in Blackwood. Celebrations on the island are reported to go back to the 1960’s and said to have started initially in Governor’s Harbour.
A crowd surrounded the stage during the very vibrant dances, photos of which are shown below, in addition to a short video clip.
