October 29 – Creole Day in Dominica

By Michael Knox

October 29, 2021

(Last Friday of October)

Posted on October 29, 2021

This is an update of my post published on October 29 2010:

Today is the day to wear, speak, and celebrate Creole culture!

On this day the Caribbean-island nation of Dominica takes joy in traditional dancing, folklore, food and music.

Dominica is not to be confused with the much larger Caribbean-island nation of the Dominican Republic.

Dominica 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!

Most 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!

So…what’s Creole?

A 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.

Madras, a colorful plaid fabric, is part of the National Dress
of Dominica and is often worn on Creole Day.

There are variations of spelling in the wish “Happy Creole Day!”
and in the term “Creole Day” itself. According to Wikipedia,
the correct label for the day is apparently Jounen Kwéyòl.