The following are official dates of Bahamian Holidays for the year 2010.
January 1st - New Year’s Day
(Junkanoo Parades take place in most islands.)
April 2nd - Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
This Religious Holiday marks the end of the Lenten Season and is the first day of a long holiday weekend which includes the following Monday after Easter Sunday. On this holy day most Bahamians attend church services and serve fish as their main meal of the day.
April 4th - Easter Monday (Monday after Easter Sunday)
This Holiday marks the beginning of the Beach Picnicking season for Bahamians. There are also many cookouts in Public Parks on the Nassau waterfront; homecomings and regattas are held in some Out Islands.
May 24th - Whit Monday (Seventh Monday after Easter)
This Holiday marks the beginning of public witness of the Christian Church and is the Monday after Whit Sunday, The Feast of Pentecost, which comes 50 days after Easter.
June 4th - Labour Day (First Friday in June)
On this Holiday, members of the Labour Unions from different organizations as well as Political Parties march in a large parade through the streets of Downtown Nassau, usually in colourful uniforms, beginning around 10:00 a.m. Local bands and a few junkanooers lead the parades, providing lively music for the marchers and spectators. The parade ends at the Southern Recreation Grounds, where Union Leaders and local politicians deliver speeches. Most Bahamians spend the afternoon relaxing or visiting beaches.
July 10th - Independence Day (1973 was the year, just in case you forgot)
August 2nd - Emancipation Day/August Monday (First Monday in August)
This holiday is also known as August Monday and is celebrated on the first Monday in August. The holiday celebrates the emancipation of slavery in the British Colonies in 1834. The holiday is celebrated with a Junkanoo Rush- out, a day of beaching, sailing, and regattas in New Providence and the Out Islands. In New Providence old slave villages such as Gambier in the west and Fox Hill in the east have their own special celebrations.
October 11th - Discovery/Columbus Day
Recently there has been a drive to change the name of this Holiday from Columbus Day to Hero’s Day in honour of Bahamian National Heroes. To this end a small ceremony is held in Rawson Square, downtown Nassau, in honour of Bahamian National Heroes.
December 25th - Christmas Day
December 27th - Boxing Day (Junkanoo Parades take place in some islands.)
This holiday was granted to the slaves the day after Christmas when they were given the boxes left over from their master’s gifts. These boxes usually were sent from England and were well crafted from fine wood. Hence the Holiday is known as Boxing Day.
FAMILY ISLAND REGATTAS AND HOMECOMING FOR 2010
Regatta’s for 2010.
All Exuma – April 20th – 24th,
Rock Sound homecoming – April 1st -5th,
Drigg’s Hill Homecoming – June 3rd – 6th
Andros Crab Fest – June 11th – 14th
North Andros – July 8th – 11th
Cat Island – July 30th – August 2nd
North Eleuthera Regatta – Oct 8th – 11th