JAMAICAN EMANCIPATION AND INDEPENDENCE DAY

 The island country of Jamaica is situated in the Caribbean Sea, constituting the fifth largest island country from its zone. It is the third country in America with most Anglophone population, right after the United States and Canada.  We can find a large number of different nationalities and mixed-race citizens living in Jamaica, although most of them have African roots. This country's history has provided a very rich culture and tradition. At first, it was occupied by the Taíno indigenous people, up to 1494 when Christopher Columbus claimed the territory for Spain. It continued being under Spanish rule up to 1655, when the English took the control of the island, and it stayed under their domain until 1962, when their independence was finally declared. The two festivities we are going to talk about are a great proof for its cultural richness.

 First, we have the Emancipation Day. This holiday is hold each year on August 1^st since 1893 when it was officially introduced as a public holiday. It celebrates the abolition of 
slavery in former British colonies. After many slave revolts, England released The Emancipation Act, which was read on the steps of Government House in Spanish Town on 1 August 1834, but it was not completely fulfilled, since slaves over the age of 6 had to complete a period of several years of apprenticeship to learn helpful skills. It was not until 1838 that this came to an end an the slaves were set free completely. Nowadays, it is celebrated by having a day off work and doing all kind of activities one may want.

 The second holiday is the Independence Day. After World War II, a period of decolonization started all over the world. During the 20^th century, the two main parties of Jamaica were founded: People's National Party (PNP), founded by Norman Manley, and Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), founded by Alexander Bustamante. In the elections of 1962, the JLP defeated the PNP, and in July of the same year, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Independence Act. Jamaica became an independent member of the Commonwealth on 6 August 1962, with Alexander Bustamante as its first Prime Minister. Since then, August 6^th has been declared national holiday, and it is celebrated each year with parades and the Jamaica Festival is held.

People celebrating Independence Day

Sources:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica
• www.digjamaica.com/emancipation_story
• www.understandignslavery.com/index.php?option=com_com&view=article&od=720:abolition-of-slavery-in-jamaica&catid=149:emancipation&Itemid=259
• caribya.com/jamaica/history/
• www.my-island-jamaica.com/jamaican_holidays.html
• aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/jamaica-independence-day/