Today
three different Central American countries celebrate three different
holidays.
Can
you find Honduras, Nicaragua, and Trinidad and Tobago on this map?
Indian
Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago
This
holiday marks the anniversary of the May 30, 1845, arrival of a ship
full of East Indian people. Although the day used to be called Indian
Emigration Day, the early East Indian arrivals were not freely
choosing to emigrate to the lovely Caribbean islands—instead, they
were brought over as “coolies,” or slaves. Nowadays, the racial
mix of people living in Trinidad and Tobago includes around 40% black
(many descendants of African slaves) and around 40% Indian (many
descendants of “coolies”). It is this sizable Indian group who
have encouraged the celebration of their ancestors' arrival on the
islands by reveling in music, dance, and food from their Indian heritage.
Arbor
Day in Honduras
Honduras is a sort of tree heaven—also known as a biodiversity hotspot. It has tropical rainforests, “cloud forests” (which are jungles that are almost always covered by low clouds and fog—and which gets little rain but lots of “fog drip”), mangrove forests that grow in a sort of saltwater swamp, and forests of pine and oak trees in the mountains.
Timber
is an important product for Honduras, but there are other, even more
important, products that don't involve cutting down trees—such as
tropical fruit and eco-tourism. Dia del Arbol (“Day
of the Tree”) is important in Honduras because so much of it is
covered by trees. Kids learn about the importance of caring for the
nation's forests, plant trees, and participate in special art projects.
Check
out this virtual rainforest tour.
To
learn more about Honduras, check out this earlier post.
Mother's
Day in Nicaragua
Here
is a very short tourism video about Nicaragua.
To
find out more about Nicaragua and Honduras, see this earlier post. Also on this date:
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