For the Haitian community, January 1st symbolizes so much more than New Year’s Day. On January 1, 1804, Haiti became the first Black republic in the Western Hemisphere and the first country to gain its autonomy from a slave rebellion. In 1791, enslaved Haitians led by Toussaint L’Ouverture sought independence from France and battled against French, Spanish, and British forces.
After L’Ouverture was captured by the French, Jean Jacques Dessalines continued the revolution and in victory ensured Haiti as the first nation to abolish slavery and as a symbol of African liberation. Dessalines changed the island’s colonial name of Saint-Domingue to Haïti (the French version of Ayiti, the Arawak native name for the island which means “land of many mountains”). Haiti’s freedom inspired the Latin American Revolution that began in 1808; Haiti’s leadership also sent funds and soldiers to help Simon Bolivar and his forces gain freedom from Spain.
At the time, Haiti’s independence was not recognized for fear that its influence would further spread to other slave owning colonies in the Americas. France, the United States, and Spain restricted trade with Haiti. France later demanded that Haiti, its most lucrative colony, pay 150 million francs or risk the reinstitution of slavery on the island. This debt for France’s losses during the war was later reduced to 90 million francs, which Haiti paid off in 1947. These economic sanctions helped to undermine the new country and have left an imprint on Haiti’s economy till this day.
This is why every year on January 1st Haitians commemorate our ancestors’ fight for freedom and also hope for Haiti’s present circumstances to change. Growing up, I didn’t understand the real symbolism behind my mom making soup joumou (squash based soup with meat and loaded with fresh veggies i.e. cabbage, carrots, and potatoes to name a few). Soup joumou was a delicacy that French slave owners ate while enslaved Haitian were given rationed foods.
After independence, the tradition of eating this delicious soup as a way of celebrating our freedom began. On Haitian Independence Day, Haitian households gather and eat soup joumou and also visit our relatives’ homes just to reunite and fill ourselves with more soup joumou. It’s a communal gesture to our past.
Haitians in the island and abroad should continue to be proud of our heritage and in our ancestors’ determination for liberty.
Bòn Fèt Lendepandans!!
Writer and blogger. Perspectiv.words Founder, Chief Editor, and Contributor. I write to speak out and uplift. I also share my views on current events, culture, history, or any topic that moves my fingers to a pen or to type.
