The Caribbean nation of Haiti celebrates its independence from France in 1804 with a public holiday on January 1st. Most of the rest of the world has this day off as well, to celebrate the first day of the New Year.
In Haiti, the day is marked with a combination of patriotic celebrations and recovering from New Year’s Eve partying. These celebrations continue on to January 2nd, Ancestry Day.
The independence that was gained on January 1st 1804 came at a high cost to many Haitians. The armed struggle had begun with the slave rebellion in 1791 is estimated to have claimed up to 350,000 Haitian lives.
Ancestry Day is a day to commemorate those who gave their lives in the struggle for the freedom celebrated the day before.
Like Independence Day, the day is marked by celebrations for the arrival of the new year and patriotic events such as military parades.