''Virgin Islands – Puerto Rico Friendship Day'' is a public holiday celebrated in the
U.S. Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
on the second Monday in October.
Established in 1964 by
Governor Paiewonsky, it honors
Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants.
Overview
The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
who reside in or who have made substantial contributions to the Virgin Islands.
The date was chosen to coincide with
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
...
, as "an appropriate day for commemorating the solidarity of Americans in the Caribbean".
Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Virgin Islands
The Puerto Rican mainland is about 40 miles from the U.S. Virgin Islands (with the Puerto Rican islands of
Culebra and
Vieques
Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ...
lying in between), and many Puerto Ricans have lived in the Virgin Islands since at least the turn of the 20th century.
As of 2010, about 10% of the population of the U.S. Virgin Islands (18% of
Saint Croix
Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorpo ...
, 3% of
Saint Thomas) is Puerto Rican.
Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Virgin Islands
*
Juan Francisco Luis
Juan Francisco Luis (July 10, 1940 – June 4, 2011) was a U.S. Virgin Islander politician who served as the third elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. He is the territory's 23rd governor overall. Luis assumed the governorship on ...
, third elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
*
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (January 24, 1874 – June 10, 1938), was a historian, writer, collector, and activist. Schomburg was a Puerto Rican of African and German descent. He moved to the United States in 1891, where he researched and raised awa ...
, historian who attended high school on Saint Thomas.
[Robert Knight]
"Arthur Alfonso 'Afroborinqueno' Schomburg"
, History Notes, Global African Community. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
Celebrations
Celebrations take place throughout the first half of October, including a sunset jazz concert, a family-fun day, dance and craft workshops, cock-fighting demonstrations, a paso fino horse presentation and a cultural exchange event.
Other events include a 5K race, sports tournaments, school presentations, a coronation, a parade, and a cultural village with food, arts and crafts, and bands.
See also
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Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands
Holidays in the United States Virgin Islands include all official holidays of the United States as well as religious and secular holidays designated by the Government of the Virgin Islands.
Public holidays
Carnival
In addition to these holidays, ...
References
External links
October 2015 holidays in the USVI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day
Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands people of Puerto Rican descent
Puerto Rican culture
October observances
1964 establishments in the United States Virgin Islands