Haitian Flag Day is a Haitian holiday to celebrate the creation of the

Flag of Haiti The flag of Haiti ( French: , ht, drapo Ayiti) is the national flag of the Republic of Haiti. It is a bicolour flag featuring two horizontal bands coloured blue and red, emblazoned by a white rectangular panel bearing the coat of arms of Hait ...

during the

Haitian revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

. The day is celebrated each year on 18 May, which is the anniversary of the date of the flag's adoption in 1803. The day is observed in numerous cities of the US that have a large Haitian population.

Observance

The day is observed and celebrated by Haitians living in and outside of Haiti. The grounds of the national palace in Haiti are the center of celebrations in the country. Whereas, Haitian residing in other countries honor the flag and the struggle that it symbolizes. Every year, on the last Sunday of May, a Haitian Day Parade is organized that goes down the Toussaint Louverture Boulevard (also known as

Nostrand Avenue South end in Sheepshead Bay Nostrand Avenue () is a major street in Brooklyn, New York, that runs for north from Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay to Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg, where it continues as Lee Avenue. It occupies the position of ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The parade was started by the Haitian-American Carnival Association in 2002 and is followed by a festival celebrating the

Haitian culture The culture of Haiti is an eclectic mix of African, Taino and European elements due to the French colonization of Saint Domingue and its large and diverse enslaved African population, as is evidenced in the Haitian language, music, and religi ...

, including its music and food. Other cities that observe the celebrations include

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

that commemorates the struggles during the

Haitian Heritage Month Haitian Heritage Month is a celebration in the United States of Haitian heritage and culture. It was first celebrated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998. History Tele Kreyol, one of the Boston Haitian Access Television programs, celebrated the ...

in May each year. Floridian cities such as Miami, Tampa, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers also have events that promote the Haitian culture. Miami's MOCA Plaza celebrations are famous for featuring prominent Haitian-American celebrities, artists, musicians, entertainers, and political personalities. The celebrations for the Haitian Flag Day in 2020 were cancelled in all parts of the world where it is celebrated due to the lockdown imposed in light of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. A limited amount of celebrations were done in different cities, such as

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

opting for just a flag raising instead of its annual festival.

References

{{reflist Haitian-American culture National holidays Haitian culture Flag days