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Monday, 5 January
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Bahamian Independence Day
Bahamian Independence Day is celebrated each year in the Bahamas from 3rd to 10th July.
In many countries they celebrate their Independence or National Day with a day of festivities, or perhaps a long weekend. In the Bahamas they celebrate Independence Day with a whole week of festivities culminating in the anniversary of Independence itself.
There were actually three stages in the transition from British colony to nation status in the Bahamas:
- In 1964, after decades of debate and legal manoeuvring, Great Britain granted the islands of the Bahamas limited self-government.
- The Bahamas became a member of the British Commonwealth in 1969, ending colonial role, but not the British flavour of the islands or its absolute sovereignty.
- The islands finally became a nation on 10th July 1973, which is the date celebrated at the end of a week of festivities as Bahamian Independence Day. This July 10th celebration of the beginning of Home Rule is an island party not to be missed.
Although there are formal ceremonies and celebrations, the week-long holiday all revolves around a quite unique type of partying – the Junkanoo. A bit of Mardi Gras mixed with West African roots and seasoned with an island flavour, this masked parade is an experience not to be missed. Although they started as a Christmas parade, the Junkanoos that are now part of the Independence Day celebrations are very popular and lots of fun.
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