Every year on September 21st, Belize explodes with music, color, and dancing to celebrate the day it became an independent country in 1981. It's like the biggest, brightest July 4th party you can ever imagine! This year, I got to celebrate Independence Day the Belizean way.
Belizeans proudly celebrate Independence Day every year through events called Carnival throughout the country. The towns here host nighttime festivals called J’ouvert (pronounced “joo-vay”), which include live music, amusement park rides, food vendors, and dancing that goes all the way into the morning sunrise. J’ouvert is followed up by a parade of colorful, themed floats, marching bands, and lots and lots of vibrantly dressed up dancers.
Belize used to be named British Honduras, signifying its colonization by Britain in the 1800s. Although the Mayans were the first people here, the British colonized Belize in part because of the resources they could take back to Europe, like the unique, colorful Mahogany tree, which is now represented on the Belizean flag. The British even fought the Spanish over control of the land.
