Belize Independence Festival - September Celebration in Central America

 

Flag of Belize.

Belize is in Central America.

Carnival is is the first or second Sautrday in September, this year 2023, on Sept 9. More coourful than the serious event later. costumes an marching bands.

Carnival costumes are expensive.

Normally clothes are very cheap.You can get 

Sept 10, national day when the Spaniards were fought by British buccaneers, privateers, called Baymen, they looted Spanish ships. 

So now Belize is an English speaking country.

Buccaneers were led by Per Wallace in 1798, 10 Sept.

the Spaniards had malaria and cholera so weren't able to put up much of a fight. 

The buccaneers were waiting in ambush and swiftly defeated them.

Descends of them and M, indentured Indian servants, Mennonites, who were German in the 1950s,some Chinese in the 1970s, so now you find someone from almost every country in Belize at the moment.

After that municipal fairs. 

September 21st is the date of the Independence Day . Flag raising, fireworks. PM address.  Citizens prade of chools, police, military bands, canrival bands and citizens..

See my other posts on Belize. I was talking to someone from there today and will get back to you again next week. The President of my Toastmasters International club lives in Belize.

J’ouvert or Jouvay is at the heart of carnival, and is also celebrated in other Eastern Caribbean islands. The name J’ouvert originates from the French jour ouvert, meaning day break or morning, and signals the start of the bacchanalia that is Carnival.

Jouvert is highly traditional and full of symbols, culture and heritage. It is steeped in tradition and playing mud involves participants known as Jab Jabs. covering themselves – from head to toe – and others in paint, chocolate, mud, white powder or anything for that matter. It is Jouvert custom that everybody gets involved and it’s common to see a newcomer being hugged by a muddy reveler.

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March Back to Waterloo Station after King Charles III Coronation - kilts swaying, red uniforms, in the rain!

One band after another, matching across the bridge. All wearing their uniforms. Subtitles tell you the band and the music. A great video of different bands, different marching songs. Great red uniforms. 

I find marching a challenge, never mind marching in step. Whilst playing an instrument! In the rain!

 My favourites were the Scottish bands towards the end, with their kilts.

Such a pity it was a rainy day. On the other hand, on a rainy day, it's good to have a band to cheer you up.

I read that Penny Mordaunt had two pairs of shoes, so that she could change out of her wet shoes once inside the abbey for the coronation.

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The Lord Mayor's Show 2017

I made thumbnails of what I saw on TV to remind myself. That's especially helpful if subtitles tell you the names of people and you miss them.

One man has been in charge of the parade for years, as was his father previously. You can't have everybody racing to be first. An order of precedence is established. Nobody says where the toilets are but there must be some. The commentary told us he organizes lunch boxes for everybody participating. 

Somebody has to see the barriers are in place and removed. You need to keep track of the number of the people in the parade, anticipated number of spectators. From that you can estimate the numbers of police or marshalls. Set up the stand for the Lord Mayor. 

They didn't say so, but on a previous occasion, I heard the organizer of a parade say that you can't have two or more marching bands behind each other, with no gap, all playing different music.

Problem
What if I missed it? Where can I watch it?

Answers
If you have paid the BBC you are entitled to watch on your laptop, as a warning before the programme starts tell you.

First some statistics:
It's a three-mile parade with 20 marching bands, 140 floats and 6,500 participants including 1800 members of the military and 200 animals including horses, donkeys, and camels.

Beehives and bunches of flowers, given out to the crowd, were brought on a float

The PDSA (People's Dispensary For Sick Animals), brought magnificent horses with riders

The BBC version is on the iplayer later Sunday Nov 11 2017 for another 28 days.

Why only 28 days? It's a question of cost.

If you are not entitled to watch the BBC or are reading this after the programme has disappeared.
You can see the 2017 Lord Mayor's show as well as excerpts from the 2016 and 2015 shows on YouTube.

I particularly liked this version which showed lots of dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-gNvZLXB_M

So when's the next one? Same time next year.

Author Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Lord Mayor's Parade, London on BBC, James Bond and HM the Queen as blow up dolls

The Lord Mayor's Parade went ahead in London, Saturday November 14th. Later in the rainy day if you've missed it you can see it on the BBC repeat.

The tragedy in Paris did not stop the in London, but two minutes of silence was observed.

Highlights included the orange James Bond car. For those who like the traditional, a blue Santa on the  blue section of the Plumbers of Pimlico. The BBC write up said the show included two reindeer, though I couldn't see them. Maybe you can spot them.

The motorcycle stunt team of riders formed a human pyramid based on a line of motorcycles.

Marching bands provided jolly music including the tune of Life On the Ocean Wave.
Blow-up displays blowing along in the breeze overhead. And stately blow ups sailing along regally included several depictions of HM the Queen in assorted costumes. Unlike Queen Victoria, apparently H M Queen Elizabeth II was amused.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06ply4m/the-lord-mayors-show-2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FqXlPn3Yo0 (Bells peeling etc)
Lots of previous years' shows are on YouTube
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Mayor%27s_Show

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.