On May 2nd, the Haitian Flag was raised in honor of Haitian Heritage Month. Although Haitian Flag Day is celebrated on May 18, they chose to celebrate earlier since it falls on a Sunday.
The holiday is celebrated because Haiti finally gained independence from France after being colonized. Haiti is also known as “the first Black country to gain its independence,” because of this, many Haitians celebrate by wearing traditional clothing, including the flag colors (red and blue), eating traditional meals, dancing, and listening to Haitian music. This allows them to reunite with family members and friends of the same ethnicity. “I don’t do anything special on Flag Day, but just celebrating Flag Day during the school day makes me feel closer to my roots and makes the day a little more special for me,” Keira Celicourt stated.
Even though there isn’t a specific meal that every Haitian eats, the popular dishes that are shared are griot (fried pork chunks), bannann peze (flattened/pressed fried plantains that can either be sweet or unripe), and other meals.
Although not many students were informed about the flag-raising, many students still had fun. “I went my freshman year and it was pretty fun. I enjoyed the ambience and the music is fire,” Celicourt voiced.
Not only was there dancing and singing happening, but there were different speeches and history behind the flag raising that can be looked up or asked about. Sadly, many people didn’t get the chance to celebrate this year, but the flag ceremony will be celebrated next year.
“I think it’s great that they acknowledge the importance of the Haitian flags to many of their students,” sophomore Kayla Charles concluded.
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