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Haitian Flag Day is celebrated every May 18th during the month of Haitian Heritage Month. Haitian Flag Day is huge in the Haitian community and it is observed in Haiti and all over the United States. The meaning behind Haitian Flag Day is to commemorate the Haitian slave revolt, which led to Haiti being the first independent black nation! Here are some Haitian Flag Day activities and ideas to teach about Haiti's independence
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May is here and it is Haitian Heritage Month! Here is a list of Haitian Heritage Month events in South Florida: Palm Beach County Haitian Heritage Month events -  Broward/Miami Dade County Haitian Heritage Month events -  If you don't live in South Florida or your area doesn't have any organized events, we have tons of resources on this website about Haiti and the Haitian culture like tourism, culture, food and so much more. We also have an eWorkbook, free printable worksheets and memberships full of great Haitian culture info! Happy Haitian Heritage Month! Listen below to an amazing podcast interview with Michel and his journey in the clairin (alcohol) business in Haiti.  Export business man in Port-au-Prince who went back to his homeland in Saint-Michel, Haiti to take over his family's business at a clairin distillery - The Spirit of Haiti. If you've ever wondered how this rum is made, check out their production process (with photos!) This is The Real Haiti. This is why I had a fire lit under me the first time I went to Haiti. And this is why I continue to blog passionately about Haiti and the amazing things happening there. Every day, hardworking people, living life in Haiti...The Real Haiti. Original podcast story posted here.
 Happy February, friends! I love February because of Valentine's Day and it's my birthday month! I will never forget this cute little window in this picture. We were hiking up the mountain in Cap Haitien to see the Citadelle Laferrière when I spotted the pink window with a heart on it. Have you wondered about Valentine's Day in Haiti? Do Haitians celebrate Valentine's Day? Is Valentine's Day a big deal in Haiti? I was curious about Valentine's Day in Haiti so I asked my family and friends for more information and here's what they said. Valentine's Day in Haiti is...
It was so fun learning about how Valentine's Day in Haiti is celebrated. How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
 January 25th is Multicultural Children's Book Day! Our friends at Educa Vision have some amazing books (for all ages!) and they are offering 10% off anything on their website with code real-haiti. You will find...
Educa Vision's Mission: To make a valuable contribution to the body of multicultural and multilingual educational materials, by publishing materials that connect culturally and linguistically to the students, teachers, administrators, service providers and community leaders. Educa Vision started first by focusing on the needs of Haitian students. Since 2002 Educa Vision is transformed into a multicultural and multilingual publisher. This expansion started first with the development of Caribbean Studies Press that publishes scholarly texts and references about the Caribbean and its diasporas. Later with Educa Brazil, an imprint dedicated to the publication of Portuguese titles. Today, Educa Vision publishes and distributes bilingual books in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Urdu. #ReadYourWorld #TheRealHaiti 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.  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! 
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!
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