On the weekend of April 9 and 10 we at the finca had the pleasure of celebrating a very special anniversary here in Honduras. On this weekend the garifuna population, native blacks of Honduras, celebrated the 214th anniversary of the presence of their vibrant and beautiful culture here in Honduras. Most of this population lives along the coast line, and one of the oldest establishments is down the road in Santa Fe. The church there kindly invited us to a special bilingual (Spanish and Garifuna) mass on Saturday night followed by a cultural dinner and celebration. We also were invited to a second bilingual mass on Sunday morning.
On Saturday night everyone at the finca piled into our Land Cruisers and headed down the road to Santa Fe. When we arrived the church seemed somewhat empty and somber, as we expected a large celebration. The when mass started the priest welcomed the visitors, and proceeded to offer the mass for a young woman who had been murdered in town that very morning. You could immediately identify the raw grief and sadness that was weighing down the hearts of all in the church from this small town.
The beauty came about in the service that followed. In their homilies the co celebrating priests, Father Felipe from Trujillo and the garifuna priest from Santa Fe, spoke with great grace about how the tragic events of the morning paired with the anniversary were very symbolic of the garifuna population. While this beautiful culture has always faced great adversity, it has also always proven resilient and marched on against every challenge for over 200 years. The priests then challenged the people of Santa Fe to continue to challenge their people to rise to a new level, one where the beauties of their culture overcome the tragedies. After the mass two representatives from their cultural group invited us to learn some garifuna songs and apologized that the party had been canceled.
When we returned the next morning for mass, it was as if Santa Fe had arisen from the dust over night. The church was packed, the women’s choir was ready to sing and dance, and the drums were already setting the beat. The service was truly beautiful; every voice that spoke was inspired and overflowing with pride and their rich heritage. We sang and danced in the aisles from the first hymn to till the last verse of the final song. Then afterward the entire finca, over 70 people, was invited to an impromptu lunch, using all the food from the party the night before. We enjoyed our delicious food, and then headed out.
The Garifuna community of Santa Fe truly inspired us all in their resilience, pride, and great joy for life and the liberty to live that life as they so desire. I feel blessed for haven been able to take part in their great anniversary, and look forward to hopefully visiting them many more times in the future.
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