Roatan

Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras Independence Day Celebrations

 September 15, 1821 - September 15, 2007

Parades, Marching Bands, Dancing, Cheerleaders, Carnivals, and the Famous West End Fishing Tournament are held to Celebrate Independence Day in Roatan. Roatan is the only Honduran community that starts celebrating one week ahead with a different community leading the festivities every night through the 15th of September. Read how the Sundancer-Sandy Bay Community kicked off the celebrations this year!

The festivities begin with decorating cars and parading the Carnival Queen, Princess, and area sponsored Royalty through Sandy Bay , Flowers Bay , and Coxen Hole. The kids throw candy and string beads from the car to families along the road. Watch out for flying candy! Everyone has a great time! Cars were honking, Princesses were waving, kids were screaming, and great big smiles were on every face! Check out the pictures on http://www.roatan.ws/ . 

The evening festivities begin with good friends and good food served up Island Style! Grilled Chicken, Pork, Rice and Beans, Potato Salad, Drinks, and Chips for over 100 people are just a part of the evening. There is a live band for dancing too!

What was traditionally The May Pole for the English has become the Platt Pole for the Hondurans. They have their own dance step strategy to go along with it. This does take some skill so they start with adults and then work down in age until even the little ones learn the game.They weave the pole and then unweave it. There is a platt leader that oversees the technique so the platt or weave is evenly done. There is lots of laughing and giggling during the event!

.The big events are Saturday the 15th and they begin in Coxen Hole with a parade, marching bands, cheerleaders, and lots of kids. Then there is lunch, horse races, races for kids, and many other activities that go on all afternoon. We will let you know how some of these turn out once we go!

Needless to say, Roatan Hondurans love to celebrate their blue and white colored Independence Day! The banks and local stores have been decorated for several weeks now and Hurricane Felix did not slow the festivities down a bit! Great recovery Roatan….onward and upward!

see May Day Plat Pole Video…

Hurricane Felix Roatan Update

Roatan Island is still pretty bare when it comes to supplies in grocery stores, fresh fruit and vegetables, and gasoline. Supplies that would have been shipped hurricane week have still not come. Life is very different on an Island. It is not like in the USA where life just resumes as normal. We sit and wait for boats to reschedule to come and bring supplies. I checked again today and there are still no fresh vegetables, soft drinks, and canned goods etc. I have asked the proverbial “when”, but that is ridiculous because everyone you ask has a different answer! So, it will be here when it gets here! I think we all bought every grocery possible before the storm and we will just have to wait for supplies to even out again. Tourists have returned so a happy spirit is floating about. The most fun we are all having is around the Independence Day Celebrations! Looks like Saturday will be lots of fun and we need fun right now!!

by: Lynne and Bob Millsaps

www.Roatan.ws - We write & photograph the Caribbean Island Roatan

People are preparing for the worst - no surprises this time! Gasoline in short…

partly cloudy - no rain - light breeze from N.E - moderate surf - no coastal damage

Gasoline supply is running short as people “fill up” to prepare for Hurricane status on Roatan Island . Removable Docks and Pier boards are being taken up in sections to maintain damage control. Waterfront homes are securing outside objects and boarding windows. Is this overkill???? Nobody thinks so! Hurricane Dean is projecting hurricane strength winds up to 75 miles from its center. The expanse of the total storm is up to 200 miles from the center.

The storm has recently shifted to the South West, placing Roatan in the outer skirts of the hurricane. Heavy rains, surf, and wind are expected. After Hurricane Wilma 2 years ago, with its intense coastal damage, no one here is taking any chances. Better to be prepared than to take risks on costly pier and home repairs.

People seem calm but alert. Grocery shopping is at an all time high and batteries are already gone as flashlights are loaded for the only sure prediction - no electricity! Communications may be down for awhile due to lack of electricity and satellite signals, so be patient as folks wait to report to “the outside world”. More than likely everyone is just fine!

www.Roatan.ws