by Peter Eltringham; Carnival photos courtesy
of Juan-Carlos Cuellar www.digiconegraphics.com/photography
Music and dance are central to any party in Belize, and Belizeans
don’t just watch a band play — everyone, from toddlers to grandparents,
enthusiastically joins in the “jump-up.” In September two major
national holidays (National Day/St. George’s Caye Day on the 10th and
Independence Day on the 21st) provide the backdrop to the biggest participatory
musical event in the country — Carnival! Known collectively as the September
Celebrations, preparations begin months before, with parade committees planning
routes, carnival groups designing elaborate costumes and trying out their dance
steps, and pretty schoolgirls vying to become one of the dozens of queens and
princesses. Officially the “slow season” for tourism, it’s
actually a great time to visit Belize.
This year the September Celebrations begin on Friday the 10th
with St. George’s Caye Day, which commemorates a naval encounter in 1798
when a small, improvised force of Baymen (predominately British settlers descended
largely from pirates) and their African slaves, with professional help from
a ship of the British Royal Navy, drove off a much larger Spanish fleet. Nowadays,
in the seafront Memorial Park in Belize City, people sit respectfully in the
shade as local dignitaries make stirring speeches, waiting patiently for the
real fun to begin. The reigning Queen of the Bay (always referred to as “her
Graciousness”) crowns her successor who is then seated on a throne, attended
by a bevy of princesses and driven around at the head of the parade.
Saturday the 11th is the day of the Carnival Parade itself,
when you’ll experience the vibrant energy of a truly great Caribbean carnival.
If you like you can try to emulate the electrifying punta rhythms of troupes
of gorgeously dressed dancers as they shimmer and gyrate through the streets
of Belize City. That evening the Best of Belize’s musicians will be performing
in a “Soundfest,” beginning at 8pm in the Belize City Centre, next
to the Belcan Bridge.
On Independence Day, the 21st, the country’s top bands
and sound systems line the parade route and perform on stages in the seafront
BLT Park — a perfect time to meet and mingle with the best musicians in
Belize. •
Peter Eltringham is currently working on the third
edition of the Rough Guide to Belize, which has a completely updated and greatly
expanded music and dance section. For a list of some of the best recorded music
in Belize visit www.stonetreerecords.com
