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nCreole Day – Dominica
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nThis is the day to wear, speak, and celebrate Creole culture!
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nOn this day the Caribbean island nation of Dominica takes joy in traditional dancing, folklore, food and music.
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nDominica is not to be confused with the much larger Caribbean island nation of the Dominican Republic. It is nicknamed “the Nature Isle” of the Caribbean, because its natural beauty is quite unspoiled by development. It is actually the youngest island in its island group (the Lesser Antilles), and geothermal activity is still shaping the land. You can tell it’s still “active” because there is a huge boiling lake—the second largest in the world! (Pictured here.)
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nMost of the island is covered with lush jungle and tons of wildlife, and 365 rivers rush to the sea. Speaking of “sea,” apparently the volcanic formations make a great habitat for all sorts of marine life, so the snorkeling is great there!
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nSo…what’s Creole?
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nA creole language is a stable language that forms when groups of children learn pidgin (simplified) language (or languages) from their parents. In the case of Dominica, the creole language is based on French. The official language of Dominica is English, by the way.
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nCheck it out!
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nClick here for a look at some traditional clothing and dancing (scroll down to the embedded video), and here to sample Dominica Cadence Lypso music.
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nAnd here is a YouTube video that promises “the whole of Dominica in just over a minute.”
