Traditions
The Haitian Calendar: Holidays and Key Dates
From Independence Day to Flag Day and Fèt Gede — the dates every Haitian family celebrates and remembers.
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Haitian life follows a calendar full of history, faith and celebration. Whether you live in Haiti or in the diaspora, these are the dates Haitian families mark every year.
| Date | Occasion | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Independence Day (Jou Endepandans) | Haiti became the first free Black republic in 1804. Families share soup joumou. |
| January 2 | Ancestors’ Day (Jou Zansèt yo) | A day to honor the heroes of independence and the ancestors. |
| January 12 | Remembrance of the 2010 earthquake | A day of remembrance for the victims of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. |
| February / March | Kanaval (Carnival) | The days before Ash Wednesday: music, floats, masks and kompa bands — famous in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and Cap-Haïtien, and in diaspora cities. |
| Lent to Easter | Rara season | Rara bands parade with drums and bamboo vaksen. Learn about rara. |
| April 7 | Death of Toussaint Louverture | Toussaint Louverture died in a French prison on April 7, 1803. |
| May 1 | Agriculture and Labor Day | Haiti celebrates farmers and workers on May 1. |
| May 18 | Flag Day (Jou Drapo) | Celebrates the creation of the Haitian flag in 1803 at Arcahaie. In the United States, May is Haitian Heritage Month. |
| Mid-July | Saut-d’Eau pilgrimage | Pilgrims travel to the waterfalls of Saut-d’Eau around the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Read about Saut-d’Eau. |
| August 14 | Bois Caïman | Remembers the 1791 ceremony at Bois Caïman, seen as the spark of the Haitian Revolution. |
| October 17 | Death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines | Honors the founder of the nation, killed on October 17, 1806. |
| November 1–2 | All Saints, All Souls and Fèt Gede | Families honor the dead; the Gede spirits are celebrated in Vodou tradition. |
| November 18 | Battle of Vertières | The 1803 victory near Cap-Haïtien that secured independence. Read the story of 1804. |
Dates of Carnival, Lent and Easter change every year. Organizing a celebration near you? Add it to the Aloayitifm events calendar.
