March 30, 2013 - Shouter Baptist Liberation Day in Trinidad and Tobago

Today's holiday reminds the people of Trinidad and Tobago that for more than 30 years, from 1917 to 1951, practicing the Spiritual Baptist religion (otherwise known as the Shouter Baptist religion) was illegal!

This group of Christians were called Shouter Baptists by outsiders to poke fun at the loud clapping and shouting during worship services. The Shouter Baptists themselves didn't like the name and decided to call themselves Spiritual Baptists. Their enthusiastic dancing, clapping, singing, and shouting made services lively—sometimes people even fell to the ground and shook with convulsions.

In addition to shouting, many
Spiritual Baptists ring bells during
services.

Why was this worship illegal? The police and government made the excuse that the services were too loud. The Shouter Baptists, they said, disturbed the peace. The dancing and shouting and especially the convulsions seemed primitive, even indecent (they hinted).

It is possible that the underlying reason for the ban was that this religion mixed Baptist beliefs with African traditions, and some people—even some black people—in Trinidad had prejudice against all things African. Black people who were former slaves didn't want the reminder of their degradation.

Who were the Merikins?

As I read about how this bigoted law got passed in the first place, I found out (for the first time in my long, long life) about the “Merikins.” These were former slaves who fought with the British against the Americans in the War of 1812. The black marines were fighting against their former owners—one might say they felt as if they were fighting for freedom, for themselves and their people.

For their service, after the war was over, British offered to take all of the black marines to Trinidad, where they could be free. About 760 marines took them up on their offer and emigrated to Trinidad, where they set up “companies” (villages), each under the supervision of a sergeant or corporal. The government provided the refugees shelter, tools, and some cuttings and seeds for planting. Some also received clothes, blankets, and food to eat while they started farms. The “starter” daily rations were plantain (a kind of banana) and salt meat.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the invention of the pencil-eraser 

Artist Francisco Goya's birthday

Artist Vincent Van Gogh's birthday

Anniversary of the purchase of Alaska

May 30, 2012 - Celebrate, Central American Style!

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.

To learn more about Trinidad and Tobago, see this earlier post. 

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

Many different nations have set aside a day to celebrate mothers, but of course they don't all choose the same day. Today is Mother's Day in Nicaragua; the date was chosen by a president in the 1940s; May 30 was the birthday of his mother-in-law.

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:

Anniversary of the eruption of Mount Lassen

Anniversary of the discovery of krypton 

August 31, 2011 - Trinidad and Tobago

Independence Day 

Whoo, hoo! Today, Trinidad and Tobago celebrates independence from England in 1962!

The Caribbean island of Trinidad is a little bit smaller than the U.S. state of Delaware, and the nearby island of Tobago is much, much smaller. The islands lie off the coast of Venezuela, in South America.

Although already settled by Amerindians and colonized by Spain, Trinidad and Tobago was turned over to French, Dutch, and Courlander colonizers, and in 1802 it was ceded to Great Britain. English is the only official language.

Although Trinidad and Tobago are beautiful and popular with tourists, the economy is mostly industrial. It is one of the best economies in the Caribbean.

The country is known for its Carnival, and it is the birthplace of steelpan (music made with big, curved metal drums) and calypso (a style of Afro-Caribbean music made commercially famous by American singer Harry Belafonte). Also invented in Trinidad is the dance called limbo—you know, the dance where you see how low you can go!

Here are some television professionals and kids doing the limbo, and here is an expert!