November 1: Antigua and Barbuda's National Day

nPostednon November 1, 2014

nYes,nit’s another Caribbean island.

nYes,nit’s another country that became independent of the United Kingdomn(in 1981). (Man, the Brits colonized EVERYWHERE!!!)

Wow, what a view these people have!
This is a peninsula, or a finger of land
that sticks out into the sea.

nThenname of the country is pretty straightforward, since the two mainnislands that make up the nation are (you guessed it) Antigua andnBarbuda. There are about 35 other islands, some with cool names:

nKid Island and Nanny Island

nCrump Island and Sandy Island

nBirdnIsland, Pelican Island, and Great Bird Island

nRatnIsland, Lobster Island, and Rabbit Island

nThenSisters Islands and Wicked Will Island

nAnnickname for the country is “Land of 365 Beaches.” I guess youncould go to a different beach every day of the year?

nHerenare some cool things about Antigua and Barbuda:

nThen nation has a National Weed! And it’s called Widdy Widdy (which isn such a great name!). Way back in the 1950s, when sugar workers wentn on strike for better wages and conditions, they cooked and ate thisn good-tasting, nutritious, but sticky food.

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nOnen of the nation’s most popular sports is cricket, and some world-classn cricketers came from here (even though the country is so small). Onen of the nation’s laziest sports is crab-racing – a sport that isn held once a week.

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National dress designed by
native Antiguan Heather Doram

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nToday,n in celebration of National Day, many Antiguans wear their nationaln clothing (which was once warn by market vendors and cake makers!).

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nThey also eat special foods, and attend national prayer services.

nAntigua’sn “Black Pineapple” is considered the sweetest pineapple in then world. When Arawakan-speaking people first introduced this fruit,n every bit of it was used—to make twine, to make cloth, to maken medicines, and so forth.

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nThen highest point on Antigua was known as Boggy Peak. (Another greatn name!) But in 2009, Boggy Peak was named Mount Obama, after U.S.n President Barack Obama.

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