Audio By Carbonatix
The first day of May is significant for many people. Ancient Celts and Saxons commemorated it to mark the end of winter and the start of spring planting season. Medieval craft guilds elected a May queen and danced around the maypole in hopes of a fruitful harvest. In 1889 Paris, the International Working Men’s Association declared May 1 an international working-class holiday in honor of martyred Chicago laborers who died battling for their rights.
May resonates for Haitians too. May 1 is Haitian Labor Day. May 20, 1743, is the birthdate of General Toussaint L’Overture, who for the first time led troops, albeit unsuccessfully, against Spanish, French, and British forces. May 16-18, 1804, is when rival group leaders Jean Jacques Dessalines and Alexander Petion united to defeat Napoleon, subsequently establishing the world’s first black republic. One year previously on May 18, 1803, the Haitian flag had been born, and Haitian Flag Day has been observed on that day ever since.
The substantial population of Haitians living in South Florida can still make merry in the month of May. Last year the county named May Haitian Cultural Heritage Month. For the second year, under the auspices of the Haitian American Cultural Society (dedicated to preserving and promoting its country’s culture), the 31 days burst with art exhibitions; dance and theater performances; readings; culinary events; film screenings; outdoor activities; and a festival highlighting the Haitian musical style called compas. Taking place at Bayfront Park on Haitian Flag Day, the music festivities feature acts of all kinds including Mizik Mizik, T-Vice, and Kdans. In addition to the soothing sounds, at noon an event perhaps relevant to the holiday and our ever-striving Haitian community commences: The Greasy Pole contest, or Kermesse, during which aspirants shinny up a slick stick, hoping to reach the bag of money lodged at the top.
