YOUNG AND OLD CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE FROM THE BRITS AND A HISTORIC BATTLE STARTING TODAY IN BELIZE–AND THE CELEBRATIONS GO THE REST OF SEPTEMBER! NONE OF THIS ONE-DAY “INDEPENDENCE DAY” BARBECUE AND FIREWORKS AND PARADES FOR THEM–THEY HAVE THAT STUFF ALL MONTH IN BELIZE!
Click here for more about St. George’s Caye Day, a huge holiday in Belize marking a historic battle.
SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE: IT’LL BE ROCKING THIS WEEKEND.
Having lived in Belize for a couple of months I can say one thing for sure about these warm and wonderful Belizean people–they are fiercely proud, patriotic people.
They have one of the most naturally beautiful countries on earth, and they know it, and they appreciate the beauty. I’ve met Belizeans who are quite poor in terms of money and material things, living in some quite substandard shelters, to say the least, sometimes with 4 generations of a family sharing a small shelter.
But when I tell such people I’m from the States, they quite typically will say something like, “Do you like our beautiful country?”
The ocean and the islands, the mountains and the jungles and rain forests–the beauty and wonder of it can sometimes be so beautiful as to be surreal. It’s one of the poorest places on earth in terms of materialism and consumerism, but Belize and most of its warm and peace-loving people are some of the richest on earth in other ways.
So this weekend marks St. George’s Caye Day or National Day–the first of two huge holidays in Belize. The other later this month is the 31rst “Birthday” of Belize–that day on which, what used to be “British Honduras,” split off from British rule and became the independent nation of Belize that it is today.
Belizeans celebrate their Independence Day for whole weeks, pretty much starting today which is actually St. George’s Caye Day (A Caye here is like a Key island in the States, as in the Florida Keys.) Longtime Expats living here tell me that September is to Belizeans what December is to Americans, a long and happy holiday season. Of course, Christmas season in this very Christian country will be much celebrated here in throughout December as well.
Meantime, I can tell you that when Belizeans celebrate and party, it’s a Wingding of a large time had by young and old.
MORE POSTCARD PIX FROM BELIZE BELOW AND GOD BLESS BELIZE.
AND GRACE & PEACE & GOD BLESS YOU TOO, AMERICA—YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD, ALL IN ALL, YOU HAVE IT.
THESE SILLY LITTLE GIRLS HERE IN THE VILLAGE COME UP TO MY PORCH GIGGLING A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK WHEN I’M ON THE PORCH WRITING AND SELL ME THE COCONUT SEED SWEET TREATS THAT THEIR MAMAS MAKE AND SELL, 4 FOR 50 U.S. CENTS. THESE LITTLE TREATS CONTAIN ENOUGH SUGAR FOR EXPORT TO WHOLE COUNTRIES, BUT BOY, ARE THEY TASTY.
HA! GOTCHA, GIRLS! THEY ALWAYS HIDE WHEN I TRY TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE BUT WEREN’T QUICK ENOUGH FOR MR. PAUL THIS TIME!
AND YOU GOT-TA GOT-TA HAVE SOUL RIGHT NOW, LIKE THE FABULOUS BUCKINGHAMS FROM MY ERA
FUN SONG, HUH? LET’S DO IT AGAIN! THIS TIME WITH THE FABULOUS ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A BAND I DANCED TO MANY A SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE DANCE HALLS OF MY MISPENT YOUTH!
THIS LITTLE DITTY TAKES ME BACK TO THE SATURDAY NIGHTS AT THE DANCE HALL AT PRAIRIE HILL, TEXAS, IN THE SIXITES, WITH ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS DISTURBING THE PRAIRIE HILL VILLAGE’S PEACE. IT WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS DANCE HALL IN TEXAS AND ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS WERE THE MOST DANGEROUS BAND THIS SIDE OF THE ROLLING STONES.
BUT THEN, THERE WAS ALSO ARTESIAN PARK AND ITS WILD DANCE HALL IN NEARBY BRENHAM, TEXAS, WHERE GREAT TEXAS ROCK BANDS ALSO PROVIDED THE DANCE AND STOMP MUSIC NEAR MY HOMETOWN.
LARGE TIMES WERE HAD BY ALL THERE.
HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU FROM ANOTHER LONELY BELIZEAN ROAD IN FAR WESTERN BELIZE AND BTW—JUST OVER THIS ROAD HERE IN CLARISSA FALLS –THAT’S THE SUN SETTING OVER BEAUTIFUL GUATEMALA WHERE I TRAMPED AROUND SOME YESTERDAY IN THE CHARMING AND QUITE NICE BORDER TOWN OF MELCHOR, GUATEMALA. POSTCARDS PIX OF MELCHOR COMING SOON HERE AT JITTERBUGGINGFORJESUS.COM, WHICH IS LIKE A BOX OF MIGHTY FINE GUATEMALAN CHOCOLATES–YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR GONNA GET.
Please. It wasn’t all misspent …….
are you suggesting that the big chunk of youth spent with thou wasn’t mis-spent? you would say that, wouldn’t you. lol
I sure am glad that “wingdings” no longer take place in fall-out shelters. Do you remember in grade school going out in the hall, ducking your head with rear end up in the air? I thought it was incredibly stupid then and still do – like that is going to provide protection from a nuclear bomb? AHH – Tuesday Weld!
I think that kind of “cover your head” in a nuclear attack nonsense was the reason we grew our hair and rebelled.
There may be something to that Paul!