Showing posts with label Dominica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dominica. Show all posts

October 29 - Creole Day in Dominica

(Last Friday of October)

 Posted on October 29, 2021


This is an update of my post published on October 29 2010:







Today is the day to wear, speak, and celebrate Creole culture!

On this day the Caribbean-island nation of Dominica takes joy in traditional dancing, folklore, food and music.


Dominica is not to be confused with the much larger Caribbean-island nation of the Dominican Republic.


 



Dominica is nicknamed “the Nature Isle” of the Caribbean, because its natural beauty is quite unspoiled by development. It is actually the youngest island in its island group (the Lesser Antilles), and geothermal activity is still shaping the land. You can tell it's still “active” because there is a huge boiling lake—the second largest in the world!


Most of the island is covered with lush jungle and tons of wildlife, and 365 rivers rush to the sea. Speaking of “sea,” apparently the volcanic formations make a great habitat for all sorts of marine life, so the snorkeling is great there!




So...what's Creole?

A creole language is a stable language that forms when groups of children learn pidgin (simplified) language (or languages) from their parents. In the case of Dominica, the creole language is based on French. The official language of Dominica is English, by the way.

Madras, a colorful plaid fabric, is part of the National Dress
of Dominica and is often worn on Creole Day.

There are variations of spelling in the wish "Happy Creole Day!"
and in the term "Creole Day" itself. According to Wikipedia,
the correct label for the day is apparently Jounen Kwéyòl.




Check it out!

Click here to learn more about Dominica.

And here is a YouTube video that promises “the whole of Dominica in just over a minute.”


 





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November 4 - Community Service Day in Dominica

Posted on November 4, 2020



This is such a practical idea:





There is usually a big mess in the streets from the festivities - parades and fireworks and such - so today is a holiday that urges citizens to clean up any and all litter and debris!




I don't know how the global pandemic will alter the usual celebration; there might be zero parade litter to sweep up this year! However, I'm betting that most people can find some public area that needs a little tender loving care. Having time off from work, getting outside into streets and parks and public beaches, and making your nation a cleaner place - sounds like a win-win-win!


Don't get Dominca (small island on the right)
mixed up with the Dominican Republic (half
of a much larger island on the left)!






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November 3 – Dominica and Panama Celebrate Today

Posted on November 3, 2013




Dominica is not the Dominican Republic. 



And Panama is not just a canal.





Dominica is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. It is almost the size in land area of New York City—but not even quite that big. (NYC is the largest city in the U.S. by population, but only the 24th largest by land area.)



Panama is that skinny nation where South America meets North America. Its location and its narrow shape made it inevitable that Panama would play an important role as people explored and traded and traveled. In 1881 France began to build a canal across the narrowest part but had to stop because of engineering difficulties and because the workers were dropping like flies from disease. In 1904 the U.S. started work on the canal and met with the same sorts of disasters; however, in 1914 the canal was finally complete and the world got a lot smaller.

Today Dominica celebrates its 1978 independence from the United Kingdom, and Panama celebrates Separation Day, its 1903 declaration of independence from Colombia.

Cool stuff...

  • Even though the nation of Dominica is so tiny, it is home to the second largest hot spring. Boiling Lake is what is called a flooded fumarole. (A fumarole is an opening in the earth's crust that emits steam and gases.) The gray-blue water is always bubbling and boiling away, so there is always grayish steam enveloping the area. Because the lake has been formed from volcanic activity, it is always changing in size and depth. For example, in 1880 the lake disappeared, and instead there was a geyser-like fountain of hot water and steam.

You can see that, because the top part of
the map represents north and therefore east
is to the right and west is to the left, there
are parts of Panama that have the Pacific
to the east and the Atlantic (the
Caribbean) to the west.
  • Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic. That's because the land bends around in an S shape so that, in one spot, there is a bay of the Pacific to the east and a bay of the Atlantic to the west.


  • Panama has a lot of diversity of plants and animals, with species from North as well as South America and more than 1,200 varieties of orchids.
  • In 1838 Dominica became the first British Caribbean colony to have a legislature controlled by an African majority. In 1999 Panama elected the second female head of state in Central America, Mireya Moscoso.

  • Panama has one of the stronger economies in Central America and arguably the best per capita. (Per capita means “for each person.” When talking per capita, you're talking percentages—it's a way of comparing economies of large, populous nations with smaller, less populous nations. Panama has the second lowest population in Central America but the second largest Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. It has the highest GDP per capita.)

  • Dominica has a slightly higher GDP per capita than Panama—but only the sixth highest among Caribbean nations. I know that Panama gets a lot of tourism, especially with all the cruise ships going through that canal! But maybe tourists in the Caribbean stay a little longer and spend a little more money on lodging, food, and entertainment.




Also on this date:




























Plan Ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:






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