Haitian Holidays Similar to America's

Haiti celebrates many of the same holidays Americans do, including Fourth of July, Flag Day, All Souls Day, Christopher Columbus, Easter, and Christmas.

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The first holiday in Haiti is New Years Day, which lasts an entire week. The largest event of the year, Haitians prepare a feast of ham, turkey stew, black rice, and plantains. Rhum Barbancourt is also consumed. The holiday celebrates Haiti as the first black-led Republic.

Carnival, in early February, mimics Louisiana's Mardi Gras. Both atonement for sins and raucous partying before Lent begins, it is a three-day orgy of dancing, drinking, and parades.

Easter week, or Rara, has activities including politically-motivated performances, parades, and a traditional menu of fish, yams, beans, and rice.

Flag Day marks the creation of the Haitian flag. Folklore says Jean Jacques Dessalines created it by removing the white panel of the French flag, leaving the blue and red panels to indicate Haiti's African and mulatto peoples.

Mother's Day in May has a tradition of people wearing red or purple corsages, representing living or dead mothers.

All Soul's Day finds Haitians dancing all night in cemeteries, leaving flowers and candles at gravesites.

Haiti's celebration of the Battle of Vertieres resembles America's D-Day Landing, a pivotal battle before ultimate victory occurred.

At Christmas time, Haitians celebrate much the same way as Americans. But instead of cookies and milk for St. Nick, Haitian children put out straw-filled shoes to be filled with presents, and drink sugar-and-anise flavored rum on Christmas Eve.

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