Dessalines Day
Observed annually on October 17th, Dessalines Day is a national holiday in Haiti. This holiday commemorates the life and legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines on the anniversary of his assassination-an event that took place in 1806.
Haiti (National/legal holiday)Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the Haitian constitution of 1805. In 1804, the city of Marchand would be renamed to Dessalines in his honor and many men on the island changed their last names from slave names to Jean-Jacques in his honor. In the 20th century, this holiday was created to honor his legacy and has been observed ever since.
The History Of Dessalines Day
The rebellion against French authority in Haiti began in 1791 and is considered to be not only the largest slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere in history but also the most successful one.
The leader of this revolution was Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines would emerge as his lieutenant. Napoleon would send French troops to restore French authority to the colony and Louverture would be captured in 1802. In 1803, Louverture died in a French prison.
Dessalines would take over leadership of the revolution and would end up defeating French troops at the Battle of Vertieres on the 18th of November in 1803. This would result in France removing over 7,000 troops from the island. On the 1st of January in 1804, Dessalines declared the colony’s independence as a free republic. He would then rename it to Haiti-its original indigenous name.
Observing Dessalines Day
In villages, towns, and cities all over Haiti, people take part in parades and festivals dedicated to Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Sometimes this day is also a day of protest, particularly when Haitians are unhappy with the current leadership. People also use the hashtag #DessalinesDay on social media to spread the word about this holiday.
Haiti (National/legal holiday)
