Belize Island Life

• January 1st – New Year’s Day
  New Year’s Day is the first day of the new year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, except for Israel, it is a public holiday,^{[citation needed]} often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.

• February

  Fiesta de Carnaval
  Exciting yearly event celebrated nationwide which brings back traditions. Groups compete in comparsas (special dances). Held one week before Lent.

  International Bullfish Tournament
  Prize of $50,000 to angler landing blue marlin over 500 pounds. Sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association.

  San Pedro Carnival
  Ambergris Caye. Slowly evolving from slapstick fun using powder, flour, lipstick and paint to tease people, to a more traditional Mestizo carnival made up of competing comparsas.

• March

  Annual Agricultural & Trade Show
  Held in Belmopan, Orange Walk Town and nearby Chan Pine Ridge every two years. Livestock, handicrafts, traditional costumes and dances.

• Trade & Livestock Show
  Held in Belmopan at the National Agricultural Showgrounds every other year, the last weekend in March. Features rodeo.
• March 9th – Baron Bliss Day: Honoring the Portuguese born philanthropist.

Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 – 9 March 1926), was a British-born traveller who willed some two million U.S. dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of British Honduras, now Belize.

• The Bliss Institute (a performing arts centre that was previously a museum, research centre, and library in Belize City) was part of the benefits from this endowment, as were the city’s Bliss Lighthouse (where Bliss’s tomb is located), the Bliss School of Nursing, and various other medical facilities around the country.Belize celebrates Baron Bliss Day each March 9 in his honour.
  Bliss’s early personal history as well as the origin of his “Baron” title is uncertain. He styled himself “Fourth Baron Bliss of the Kingdom of Portugal“; there is some speculation that the original Portuguese title was Barão de Barreto. He was born into a wealthy Suffolk family and was rumoured to have been disinherited for keeping a hansom cab waiting. He subsequently made a substantial fortune speculating in petroleum shares. Unfortunately he contracted polio and decided to travel the world in a luxury yacht. After spells in the Bahamas, Trinidad and Jamaica, he arrived in Belize harbour, where he found a climate which suited him. He was extremely fond of the local people, and despite the fact that because of his physical infirmity he never set foot on Belizean soil, he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune for the benefit of the people of British Honduras.
• March 21 Friday Good friday
  Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover. Based on the scriptural details of the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on a Friday. The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon.
• March 22 Saturday Holy Saturday
  Holy Saturday (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum) is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter. This day commemorates the day that Jesus Christ‘s body lay in the tomb.
• March 23 Sunday Easter
  Easter (Greek: Πάσχα, Pascha) is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year.^[1]Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day from his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on According to Christian scripture, Easter Day or Easter Sunday^[2] (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. The chronologyA.D. 26 and 36. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance. of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be betweenEaster is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. The First Council of NicaeaPaschal Full Moon) following the vernal equinox.^[3] Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on 21 March. The date of Easter therefore varies between 22 March and 25 April. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian Calendar whose 21 March corresponds, during the twenty-first century, to 3 April in the Gregorian Calendar, in which calendar their celebration of Easter therefore varies between 4 April and 8 May. (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (theEaster is linked to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar.

  Relatively newer elements such as the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part of the holiday’s modern celebrations, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike. There are also some Christian denominations who do not celebrate Easter.

• March 24 Monday Easter Monday
  Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely ChristianRoman Catholic cultures. Easter Monday in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar is the second day of the octave of Easter Week. In Poland and parts of the United States, Easter Monday is called cultures, especially Dyngus Day, meaning “Wet Monday”, referring to traditional pranks involving water.Formerly, the post-Easter festivities involved a week of secular celebration, but this was reduced to one day in the 19th century. Events include egg rolling competitions and, in predominantly Roman Catholic countries, dousing other people with water which traditionally had been blessed with holy water the day before at Easter Sunday Mass and carried home to bless the house and food.In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, Easter Monday is known as Bright Monday or Renewal Monday, and is the second day of Bright Week. The services are exactly the same as on Pascha (Easter Sunday), except that the hymns from the Octoechos are in Tone Two. It is customary to have a Crucession (procession headed by a cross) either after Paschal Matins or after the Paschal Divine Liturgy. It is customarily a day for visiting family and friends. Easter Monday is also the day when St. George is celebrated, in years when the regular St George’s Day (April 23) comes on or before Easter.

• April

  Good Friday in Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker
  Special Catholic Church services. Beginning at 3p.m. most villagers participate in procession carrying the cross through town.

  Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic
  Bicycle race in Belize City, continues on Western Highway , Circles around park in San Ignacio and returns to a dramatic finale in Belize City. International participation.

  San Jose Succotz Fiesta
  Local fair celebrating the day of their patron saint. Entertainment for kids, rides, food, marimba music.

• May

  Cashew Festival
  Crooked Tree Village. Celebrating the cashew harvest season. Live punt music, cashew wine, Caribbean-style dishes, games, folklore stories.

  Cayo Expo
  San Ignacio. Displays of local crafts and products. Sample local foods.

  Coconut Festival
  Caye Caulker. Food, beverages, crafts. Parade with prize for floats, coconut competition, dancing.
  
  Toledo Festival of Arts
  Week-long festivals in which school children depict various cultural groups in the district through drama and music. Arts and crafts exhibition includes basketry, paintings, clay sculpture, seashells and calabash vessels.

• May 1st - Labour Day: For the nation’s workers.
  Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. The majority of countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, and it is popularly known as May Day and International Workers’ Day, while some celebrate on the first Monday of September.The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the Eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.
• May 11 Dia de las Madres
  

  Mother’s Day, celebration with a religious ceremony in the evening followed by a dinner at Central Park with cultural presentations, until midnight

• May 24th - Commonwealth Day/Sovereign’s Day: celebrating Belize’s membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.
• May 26 Monday Commonwealth Day/Sovereign’s Day

• Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissioners in London. The Queen delivers an address to the Commonwealth, broadcast throughout the world. Also, in the year before the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Queen starts the Queen’s Baton Relay on Commonwealth Day at Buckingham Palace, handing the baton to the first relay runner to start a journey that will end at the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Games.

  While it has a certain official status, Commonwealth Day is not a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries and there is little public awareness of it.

• June 27th San Pedro Day a three day celebration in honour of San Pedro’s namesake and Patron Saint. The celebration will take place on the 29th Feast Day of St. PeterSan Pedro Day is observed on June 27th every year and celebrates the first group of families who fled from the Caste War in Yucatan Mexico and made Ambergris Caye their home around 1847. Each year the town celebrates by having parades, educational workshops and lectures on the islanders history and ancestors, special church masses, blessings of the fleet and local fishermen, dances, special concerts and a fun day for children and adults.

• July

  Benque Viejo del Carmen Fiesta
  Local fair. Celebrates the day of their patron saint with cultural shows, marimba bands, food and games. Nine days of prayer.

  BETEX 96 (Belize Tourism Expo)
  Belize’s first trade show. Theme is “The Ecological Destination of the 21st Century.

• July 3 Celebration of the anniversary of the treaty between Britain and Mexico recognizing Ambergris Caye as a part of Belize

• August

  Deer Dance Festival
  San Antonio, Toledo District Week-long celebrations. Historical reenactments, costumes, homemade harps and violins.

  International Sea & Air Festival
  San Pedro. A festival of music, dance, and foods from Belize, Mexico and neighboring countries.
  
  

• August Costa Maya Festival
  

  San Pedro. A festival of music, dance, and foods from Belize, Mexico and neighboring countries.

• September

  Mexican National Day
  Orange Walk and Corozal towns people cross over into Mexico to reunite with families and have celebrations.

• September 10th – Battle of St. George’s Caye Day/National Day: Honoring the 1798 battle that virtually guaranteed Belize’s becoming a British colony after an invasion from Mexico was turned back. Celebrates and commemorates a battle in 1798 when the Spanish were defeated by slaves, Baymen and British soldiers. Around the country similar official ceremonies and parades take place. Carnivals, sporting activities, fire engine parade, and pop concerts held several days prior to this event.
  
• September 21st - Independence Day celebrated since 1981. Celebrated Monday 22nd. Numerous cultural, religious and sporting activities held a couple of weeks before St. George’s Caye Day. Flag-raising ceremonies, parades, street jump-ups, music, dance and foods. Crowning of Miss San Pedro.
  
• October Belikin Spectacular
  

  Billfish tournament with spectacular prizes. Sponsored by the Belize Game Fish Association.

• October 12th – Pan American Day/Columbus Day Columbus Day (Pan American Day)
  Regatta racing in Belize City.A two-day cross-country run and mountain bike race. Local and International athletes will compete throughout the Cayo area for the benefit of the rain forest.

  Pan American Day
  Orange Walk and Corozal . Fiestas and beauty contest to celebrate Mestizo culture. Horse and cycle races. Tourism Week: Activities include silent and Dutch auction, grand vacation raffle drawing and fair.

  Hike & Bike for the Rain Forest

• Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘s arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492 in the Julian calendar and October 21, 1492 in the modern Gregorian calendar, as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in many countries in Latin America, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in The Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad (Spanish Day) and National Day in Spain, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) since 1915 in Uruguay and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela. These holidays have been celebrated unofficially since the late 18th century, and officially in various countries since the early 20th century.

• November

  Stann Creek Agricultural Fair
  Exhibits of livestock and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

• November 19th – Garifuna Settlement Day: Honoring the intrepid group of settlers arriving on that date in 1832. Festival, mainly in the southern most areas of the country to mark the first arrival of the Garifuna in 1832 in Dangriga.
• Nov. 27 San Pedro’s Township Day
  
• December 25th – Christmas Day
  Christmas (pronounced /krɪsməs/), also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.^[1][2] The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.^[3] The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini system of dating, is thought to have occurred between 7 and 2 BC.^[4] December 25 is not known to be Jesus’ actual date of birth, and the date may have been chosen to correspond with either a Roman festival^[5] or the winter solstice.^[6]Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas for children. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between Saint Nicholas and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media.Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. Because gift-giving and several other aspects of the holiday involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, Christmas has become a major event for many retailers.
• December 26th - Boxing Day Holiday on Monday 28th
  Parties, dances , horse races and some Garifuna dances are performed.
  Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South AfricaDay of Goodwill. The holiday is not recognized in the United States. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts (a “Christmas box”) to the less fortunate members of society. this public holiday is now known as theBoxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas Day^[1][2]; however, unlike St. Stephen’s Day, Boxing Day is not always on December 26: its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if December 26 is a Saturday or Sunday. The movement of Boxing Day varies between countries. The name derives from the fact that the day is traditionally marked by the giving of Christmas boxes, or gifts, to service workers (such as service staff, postal workers and trades people) in the United Kingdom.

  This day is commonly thought to be the UK’s name for St. Stephen’s Day. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr, being stoned to death in Jerusalem around A.D. 34–35. St. Stephen’s Day is usually celebrated on December 26, which is a public holiday in some countries and areas in Europe (including the UK, Germany, Italy, Alsace and the northern part of Lorraine in France, Catalonia in Spain) and around the world in countries with predominantly Christian populations. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St Stephen’s Day is celebrated on the 27th of December, although in Greece the Greek Boxing Day (Synaxis Theotokou, Σύναξις Θεοτόκου) is also celebrated as a public holiday on December 26 and is not related to the British version.^{[citation needed]}

  In Ireland — when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland — the UK’s Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen’s Day as a non-moveable public holiday on December 26, although since Partition, the name “Boxing Day” is used by the authorities in Northern Ireland, (which remained part of the United Kingdom), and it has become a moveable public holiday in line with the rest of the United Kingdom

  The Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971 established “Boxing Day” as a public holiday in Scotland. In the Australian state of South Australia, December 26 is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day.

January

New Year’s Day
Krem New Year’s Cycling Classic
Horse Racing in Burrell Boom

February

International Billfish Tournament
DigiCell Valentine Cycling Classic (NEW)

March

La Ruta Maya Canoe River Challenge
Baron Bliss Day
Agricultural Show in Northern Belize
San Cas Belmopan Cycling Classic
San Jose Succotz Festival

April

Good Friday
Good Friday in Ambergris Caye & Caye Caulker
Holy Saturday Cycling Classic
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday Burrell Boom Cycle & Horse Races
Easter Fair

May

Labour Day
Horse Race (Burrell Boom & Orange Walk Town)
BWU Labor Cycling Classic
Cashew Festival
Mother’s Day Cycling Classic
Summer Blue Water Tournament
National Agricultural & Trade Show
Commonwealth Day
Cayo Expo (Tentative)
Children’s Arts Festival

June

Placencia Lobster Fest
Dia de San Pedro (San Pedro Day)

July

Lobster Festival
Benque Viejo Fiestas
Fiestarama
Belmopan Day

August

Int’l Costa Maya Festival
Deer Dance Festival

September

BETEX – Tourism Expo & Marketplace for Travel
Professionals Highlights Facilities & Resorts of Belize.
Fire Engine Parade in Belize City.
Public & Bank Holiday in Celebration of the Battle of St. George’s Caye Day
Citizens’ Parade & Fair
Flag Raising Ceremonies
Official Independence Day Celebrations
Radio Address & Parade

October

Belikin Spectacular Fishing
Tournament
Pan American Day

November

Garifuna Settlement Day

December

Christmas Day Celebrated with families & friends. Boxing Day
Horse race & cycle race in Burrell Boom Village