Jwaye Nwèl! Merry Christmas!Christmas is such a magical time for everyone, including for Haitian people! We've spent a few Christmas holidays in Haiti, but since I didn't grow up there, I had to do my own research through my family and the Internet about what Christmas is like (mostly as a child) in Haiti. We are raising our two little boys to appreciate their Haitian heritage and to learn the Haitian Creole language. Christmas in Haiti brings the same universal magical feeling to everyone, especially kids. Here are some Haitian Christmas songs, traditions and printables to teach about Christmas in Haiti! You may also find yourself reminiscing about Christmas holidays in Haiti! Christmas Songs in Haitian Creole
Christmas Traditions in Haiti
Christmas Eve On Christmas Eve, children place their clean shoes full of straw, under the tree on the porch. They hope that Tonton Nwèl (Santa Claus) will remove the straw and put presents in and around the shoes. Guests usually lend their visits a little before or around midnight to attend La Messe de Minuit (Midnight Mass for Catholics). Or, some leave to go party or caroling. There is also the Revellion, French for Christmas supper, eaten after midnight mass. Traditionally, the meal served is rice, beans, and fried chicken. Read a beautiful 1960's memoir written by Jean-Marie Florestal titled Christmas In Jérémie. What a great read...I could really picture the scenes!
Haitian Christmas Printables Perfect for Haitian parents (Creole speaking or not), people wanting to teach about multiculturalism and other heritages and homeschoolers or teachers.
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How is it mid November ALREADY?! This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving in US and then Black Friday! I don't know about you, but the holidays always sneak up on me quick. The same goes for holiday shopping! Skip the mall and same old gifts. Shop our unique items in our gift guide for Haiti lovers <3     Consider shopping from small businesses who work to show the beauty of Haiti. The Real Haiti Inc. is a registered corporation and with your purchases, we are able to bring more awareness of the other side of Haiti that we all love so much! November 24th is Small Business Saturday!  History is not my specialty nor my passion, but since this blog is about educating others about The Real Haiti, I did some research about the Haitian holiday Dessalines Day, celebrated on October 17th (the day of his assassination). Jean-Jacques Dessalines is referred to as one the founding fathers (or Emperor) of Haiti, but many don't speak of him because of the controversial violent massacre of thousands of "white Haitians," also known as native French people. Read more about the 1804 Haiti Massacre here.
 A Haitian educator, Louis Mercier, once said, "Whatever the means he employed to accomplish his ends, Dessalines remains the most powerful spirit in our history....One cannot be a real Haitian unless one is a Dessalinian." With gaps in the historical information, Haiti still celebrates Dessalines Day on October 17. Read more about the Haitian Revolution, Haiti's Independence here. Haitian food is a huge part of the Haitian culture. Eating is always an amazing experience in Haiti, not only because everything is delicious, but because they are so many non-traditional ways of getting food. When I sat down and thought about my food experiences in Haiti, I realized how much fun eating Haitian food is! Here are some of my favorites... Coconut {kokoye} cut the top off and drink from it Almond {zanmann} pick it from the tree, smash it with a rock to open it and enjoy Seafood {manje ki fèt ak bèt lanmè} caught fresh whenever you want Watermelon {melon dlo} from the side of the road stand Sugar cane {kann} from the market {mache} Vegetable markets {mache} or snack stands at the beach Grocery stores like Giant Supermarket {makèt} Sweet treats at the beach {plaj} boardwalk Haitian sweet treats tablèt pistach, dous tablèt + kokoye Make your own kitchen with a gas stove {founo} when there's no electricity Just like traveling to any new place, learning about the food and trying new things is so much fun! September is Haitian Gastronomy month! Haiti is known for it's hospitality and delicious food. I have been lucky enough to experience preparing, cooking and serving Haitian food at special events in Haiti. Here are some of the shots. Behind the scenes with Haitian chefs  In 2013, we had the pleasure of going behind the scenes with Chef Alain Lemaire and the other visiting and local chefs for Gout et Saveurs Lakay, Haiti's food, wine and spirits festival. VIDEOGRAPHY: Diana Pierre-Louis of The Real Haiti & James Lapierre of Lapierre Film VIDEO EDITING: Diana Pierre-Louis of The Real Haiti PHOTOGRAPHY: Fedno Lubin VOICEOVER: Joel Trimble of La Bonne Nouvelle MUSIC: TiCorn & Haitian Toubadou 2018 is the 8th year of Gout et Saveurs Lakay from September 27 - 30 - more info here. The video below has nothing to do with my experiences, but it's funny and true! Fort Jacques is tucked up and away in the beautiful mountains of Kenscoff near Pétionville and Port-au-Prince. The drive to the historical area is super easy compared to some other rugged locations we've visited. From the top, you can see the bay of Port-au-Prince...what a beautiful view! There are two forts named after Alexandre in honor of General Alexandre Pétion and Jacques in honor of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. We only visited Fort Jacques, which is restored and kept maintained, however Fort Alexandre (east of Fort Jacques) is not. Every May 18 (Haitian flag day), there's a celebration with music and fun. It's definitely worth the view! Oh, and DO NOT MISS the outdoor griot spot in Kenscoff...it's the best!  
The Importance of an Education in Haiti
I have yet to meet a Haitian that doesn't think school is important. School is a top priority among Haitian parents and families. No matter how poor or wealthy, everyone values education in Haiti. Despite what you may read or hear in the news, the majority of Haitian children go to school. Parents will do everything that they can to make sure their child gets an education no matter what. Their determination is one of those things that fascinates me most about the Haitian culture. Just like we do in the United States, parents and students in Haiti prepare to go back to school in the same ways as us. Because I've never attended school in Haiti, I can't express my experiences on that. So, I asked a friend of mine, Fedno Lubin, who is a student in Jacmel, Haiti. Fedno is also a photographer who I hire occasionally to capture The Real Haiti. *All photos on this post are by Fedno Lubin*
About Schools in Haiti
Haitian students primarily go to private schools, which means there's tuition fees or there are tuition waiver programs available to some. Here's a breakdown of how the education system in Haiti works: (research info below provided by classbase.com)
Common grading scales: 80.00 - 100.00 or 8.00 - 10.00 Très Bien (Very Good) US - A 70.00 - 79.99 or 7.00 - 7.99 Bien (Good) US - B 60.00 - 69.99 or 6.00 - 6.99 Assez bien (Satisfactory) US - C 50.00 - 59.99 or 5.00 - 5.99 Passable (Sufficient) US - D 0.00 - 49.99 or 1.00 - 4.99 Mal (Fail) US - F
According to the Ministry of Education in Haiti, the official school calendar has September 4 as the start day for back to school.
What are your favorite memories of 'back to school' in Haiti or somewhere else! Share it with us below in the comments.
Back to School Gear to Represent Haiti and Haitian Culture
Check out these must have items for the kids (or yourself!) to go back to school!
Since we have little ones now, I've done something I never thought I'd do - I converted our dining room (which we actually used) to a playroom! Crazy, I know. I am an interior design wannabe with a wannabe minor in decorating.
Our home is full of Haitian art in all different forms like paintings, sculptures, statues, papier mache, woven materials and mosaics. Since I had so much of the Haitian decor already, I figured why not create a Haiti inspired playroom! First thing first, I had my husband raise the gigantic chandelier so adults would stop bumping their heads on it. Some of the Haitian paintings were already hung so that made the wall decor easy. Check out our unique Haitian paintings for sale here.
These paintings were done by my husband's cousin in Haiti. The one in the green frame was painted on a burlap sak and glued to a hard cardboard material. The frame is actually one that I found in the garbage! It was originally gold and had an ugly horse painting in it. Thankfully the Haitian painting was the exact same size! (fun fact - I love repurposing things and thrifting...it's one of my favorite things to do!)
Playroom Inspiration
If you're tired of stepping on legos and tripping over trucks, try dedicating a corner (or a room if you have the space) for the toys to make a playroom or play area. It's nice to have the toys in one area so that we could have our living room back. I have a playroom board on Pinterest where I got my inspiration! Check it out here.
Other Fun Haiti Inspired Things in Our Playroom
Add this short story book to your collection! It was written and designed by me :) Mermaid Violette is madly in love. Her friends -- a crab, fish, dolphin, jellyfish and shrimp, all wonder who Violette loves so much and can't live without. Read the book to find out who the lucky one is! The story is written in English. Bonus pages of sea creatures in English and Haitian Creole! 
Add these customizable wall art prints to your little one's room or playroom! Designed by me :)
I plan to do more blogs about Haiti inspired rooms and home decor so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by!
 When I met my husband Endy (then-boyfriend), he would tell me all about Haiti. He would tell me stories about growing up with his siblings, his best friends. He would tell me about the journeys they had to get to school, the funny stories of dressing up in their parents clothes and the soccer games they played on the roof of their house. He would tell me how beautiful "The Real Haiti" was. I mostly just listened, and quietly doubted that a place I always heard was a "third world country," could be beautiful. What? You're going to Haiti on vacation!? It took years of convincing to plan a trip to Haiti...7 years actually! Endy planned everything for our 10 day adventure. Although I was excited, my worried mind kept playing questions over in my head like, "what if we can't find water to drink?" and "what if we get TB or yellow fever?" As I type these ridiculous things (that I never actually said out loud), I can't even believe I thought such judgmental things about a place I'd end up falling in love with! As an innocent Italian-American, red-headed, 28-year-old, I really had no clue what Haiti was really like. I had no clue that visiting Haiti would change my life. As our vacation plans neared, I secretly wanted to back out or hoped for some reason we weren't going to end up going (sad, but true). The time came and we flew from Florida to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My life was forever changed and my eyes and heart were opened like they had never been before. For more of an in depth look about what I saw and experienced, read my blog about things I noticed while in Haiti. Before my first trip, my husband encouraged me to start a blog about Haiti to share what we saw. I wasn't fully on board with the idea, but I did. When I was there and then returned home is when I started blogging about all-things-Haitian and really fell in love with the idea of blogging. I embraced the culture and through my experiences, I had to share all of the amazing things that were so new to me. Some of the best memories i have in haiti Fast forward EIGHT years later Since I started The Real Haiti, Endy and I got married and have two little boys now! Although we don't get to travel to Haiti as much anymore (adulting too much), promoting the Haitian culture, food, people and life in Haiti is still my passion! I couldn't find one place online with resources for teaching kids about Haiti and Haitian Creole so I created my own for my boys and am sharing it with you! I have added a kids section (there's also a tab above) to The Real Haiti where you can find a variety of resources to teach your kids or students about Haiti -
While all of this started as a fear of Haiti, then a love for Haiti, it's now my business and a huge part of my life. I am so grateful for all of you for following my page for all of these years. Lastly, thank you always for your encouragement! Happy anniversary of The Real Haiti blog and business. Mesi anpil!!! If you're new to The Real Haiti, sign up below to subscribe to the blog!  Have you searched Amazon for books about Haiti or resources in Haitian Creole? There are some, but nothing compares to the collection that our friends over at EDUCAVision Inc. have! There are tons of amazing books and resources for everyone of all ages, interests, and styles of learning. EDUCAVision is offering 10% off anything on their website with code real-haiti. Check out the variety of multicultural books and resources in English and Haitian Creole here! HAPPY HAITIAN FLAG DAY! 
Can you imagine seeing the video promo below on Haiti on TV today? It was 1983 and this video was produced for American Express to promote travel to Haiti! I see more things that have remained the same in Haiti than have changed.
Similarities and differences between Haiti in 1983 and today What hasn't changed in Haiti since 1983:
What hasn't changed in Haiti since 1983:
After reading through all of these similarities and differences, you must be even more curious about travelling to Haiti! I promise it will be a trip of a lifetime. Go explore and see The Real Haiti! If you've been to Haiti, drop a comment below on what you noticed that was the same as 1983! |
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