Map courtesy Lennox Honychurch 
38 
Celebrating Columbus 9 
Quincentennial 
The quincentennial of the arrival of 
Christopher Columbus, who has recently 
been described as the first European visitor 
to the Caribbean, will be observed in 
Dominica during the years of 1992 and 
1993. The official programme will be 
launched on November 3, 1992 and will 
climax on November 3, 1993, when 
Dominica celebrates its 15th anniversary of 
independence from Britain. 
Whether or not Columbus discovered 
Dominica, it is clear that his coming to the 
Caribbean facilitated an ‘encounter of cul- 
QUINCENTENNIAL CALENDAR 
1992 
October 25-31 Program in observance of 
Creole Week as part of Na¬ 
tional Day/Independence 
Celebrations. 
October 30 Wearing of colourful na¬ 
tional dress in hotels, busi¬ 
nesses & schools in celebra¬ 
tion of Creole Culture & 
Heritage. 
November 01 National day of prayer & 
November 03 
Thanksgiving. 
Official start of year-long 
November 
‘Encounter of Cultures’ in 
observance of Columbus’ 
Quincentennial. 
Agriculture Month 
December 
Cultural Festival 
1993 
January/ 
February 
Carnival Celebrations 
March 
Environment Month 
April 
Sports Month 
May 
Church Month 
June 
Academic, History and Heri¬ 
July 
tage Month 
Maritime Month 
August 
Carib Month 
September 
European Month 
October 
African Month 
November 
Encounter and Beyond 
turns’ - an event which not only affected the 
Caribbean and the Americas, but the entire 
world. In Dominica, the year long observa¬ 
tion will focus on the evolution of the 
island’s culture and in particular, the changes 
brought upon the Carib Indians - the indig¬ 
enous peoples of the island. 
To this date, Dominica continues to be 
home to a community of some 3,000 Carib 
Indians who have survived the 500 year 
passage from the ‘discovery’ to the present. 
The Carib community will seek to ad¬ 
dress the issues which have affected their 
people through the years. Most impor¬ 
tantly, they look to the future - to the 
preservation of their peoples and their 
culture; to the revival and enrichment of the 
Carib traditions much of which has been 
lost to the Dominican Carib; and to the 
improvement of their social, political and 
economic conditions. A themed ‘Carib 
Month’ is planned for August 1993 and will 
include the observance of a ‘Carib Day’. 
Dominica as a nation, will look back on 
the full scope of its history and cultural 
heritage and to the island’s future. A num¬ 
ber of themes have been identified for the 
observance. 
PUBLIC HOUDAYS 
1992 
• Christmas Day 
Dec 25 
• Boxing Day 
Dec 26 
1993 
• New Year’s Day 
Jan 01 
• Carnival 
Feb 22/23 
• Good Friday 
Apr 09 
• Easter Monday 
Apr 12 
• May Day 
May 01 
• Whit Monday (Pentecost) 
May 31 
• August Monday 
Aug 02 
• Independence Day 
Nov 03 
• Community Service Day 
Nov 04 
• Christmas Day 
Dec 25 
• Boxing Day 
Dec 26 
(observed) 
Dec 27 
39 
