Semana Morazánica in Honduras
During the month of October, three holidays in Honduras were once celebrated individually:
- Honduran Soldier’s Day (Oct. 3)
- Columbus Day, also known as “Dia de la Raza“, or “Day of the Race” (Oct. 12)
- Armed Forces Day (Oct. 21).
In 2014, however, that all changed. The three holidays were unified by the initiative of the National Congress through legislative decree No. 78-2014. This is what is now known as Semana Morazánica.
Honoring Francisco Morazán
The name “Semana Morazánica” was chosen in honor of Francisco Morazán. Considered a founding father of Honduras, the Central American politician and General served as both President of the Federal Republic of Central America and Head of State in Honduras.
Widely recognized as a visionary and great thinker, he attempted to transform Central America into one large, progressive nation. During his time in power, he enacted several liberalizing reforms including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.
Celebrating Semana Morazánica
During Semana Morazánica, public sector employees are given a week off, this is also true for some in the private sector. The end goal of the week is to incentivize domestic travel. Workers from all over the country visit some of the beautiful sites their country has to offer. This boosts the economy by making sure money is spent domestically, adding an estimated value of around 2 million lempiras, generating more than 20 thousand jobs according to the National Chamber of Tourism of Honduras.
Beaches are a particularly big attraction during the holiday season in Honduras. One of the country’s most popular destinations is Roatan, a beautiful, scenic island off the northern coast of the country. Roatan is home to part of the beautiful Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest in the Caribbean. Guanaja is another popular destination, known as the Venice of Honduras for the waterways that run through it. It is home to several small resorts that cater to divers, snorkelers, and adventurers. Utila, although smaller than the aforementioned locations, also draws a great many visitors as it is considered one of the world’s best diving locations.
Beaches aside, the holidays in Honduras also attract a lot of domestic tourists to sites displaying the nation’s rich Mesoamerican culture. Chief among them are the Ruins of Copan. The perfectly restored site was one of the most important places of the Mayan civilization. Once functioning as the cultural and political center of the southeast portion of the Maya area, Hondurans can enjoy a rich taste of their cultural history in its beautiful plazas.
La Tigra National Park is another popular destination for the holidays in Honduras. The first national park in the country, it is known for its fantasy-like cloud forest and tropical vegetation. The park is also a haven for birds – more than 200 species live within its borders. Another natural attraction that draws many visitors is Cusuco National Park, known for its hiking trails, Cusuco attracts many hikers and backpackers.
Our Little Roses Celebrates the Holidays in Honduras
The holiday is something everyone at Our Little Roses looks forward to and prepares for. At Holy Family Bilingual School the entire student body learn about important historical figures. The school marching band learns how to play the national anthem along with other traditional songs.
The celebration is not limited to Holy Family Bilingual School, all of the 70+ girls in our care take part, practicing for weeks to march in a parade through the neighborhood. Mi Rincon, our in-house Special Education Program stands out, as it is the only program of its kind in San Pedro Sula. The girls in Mi Rincon (My Corner), all have special learning styles. Some may have issues such as dyslexia, or other learning differences that require very specialized attention. Other girls in the program may have simply not had the opportunity to attend school and so need special attention to reach their full potential and often not only catch up to their peers, but are able to enter into a mainstream school. The students of Mi Rincon have become an integral part of the community celebration and are very proud of their Honduran culture.
While school is closed for the holiday, all of our girls will have the chance to visit our retreat center in the beautiful mountain area of Santa Barbara. It is a very special treat to get out of the city and visit the center that is equipped with an organic garden and sits very close to the river.
Through the generous support of people like you, the girls in our care have the chance to learn about, and to celebrate their Honduran culture. They have the chance to play and experience a childhood that was beyond their reach. To learn more about how you can support our mission of transforming and empowering the girl child in Honduras visit our website.
