New Year’s Day/Independence Day
Haiti has many reasons to celebrate New Year's Day; January 1 marks the day this country gained independence from France after more than 300 years of domination. The spectacle of New Year's Day and Independence Day celebrations combined is a spiritual sight to behold and incorporates many traditions. This is one of the most famous festivals in Haiti because everyone in there knows and participates in it.
To mark the day, Haitians shake off their New Year's Eve hangovers to watch parades in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The day is marked by fireworks, dancing and performances of the national anthem, honoring Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the hero of the revolution.
The New Year's Day tradition in Haiti is 'soup joumou' pumpkin soup. The story goes that slaves in Haiti were forbidden to drink joumou soup because it was a delicacy reserved for their colonial masters. It is said that Dessalines' wife, Marie-Claire Heureuse Felicite, declared that on this day Haitians should not refuse a traditional bowl of joumou. Drinking soup on January 1 to mark the liberation of the country has become a symbol of freedom.
- Location: Haiti
- Date: January
