BELMOPAN, Wed. Nov. 3, 2021 — On Wednesday, November 3, the Government of Belize released the official list of Public and Bank Holidays for the year 2022, and on the day previously observed as Pan-American Day or Columbus Day, GoB has put in place a new holiday known as El Día de la Raza, which is observed in a number of Latin American countries and is viewed as a celebration of the Hispanic heritage of people in the region. In addition, Commonwealth Day has been removed from the list of holidays.

The changes were met with criticism from a number of Belizeans. Those persons have primarily objected, not to the removal of Pan-American Day or Christopher Columbus Day from the list, since that was seen as a day that gave honor to someone who led Europeans in the plunder and conquest of the New World and subjugation of its peoples, but to the nature of the day that was selected to replace it. Said to be a celebration of the new heritage forged from the meeting of the indigenous people and the Europeans, El Día de la Raza is seen by many as a celebration of the New World through the colonial lens. “Raza” is the Spanish word for race, and it calls to mind the social stratification that was put in place in the New World that was based on race — with those of European heritage being placed higher up the ladder. They suggest that it shows ignorance of the historical context of the word and celebrates a Hispanic/Latino identification that was forced on the indigenous people.

The term “La Raza” is believed to have been coined by Spanish minister Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro, who, as president of the Ibero-American Union, iniatied the first celebration in 1914 under the name “Feast of the Race”. In the 1925 book, La Raza Cósmica, that was written by the Mexican writer José Vasconcelos, he states his view that a continuous mixing of races had begun in the Latin world, which would result in a new race.
This concept is considered offensive to the indigenous community, for many believe that it forces the Hispanic heritage unto them. Due to the controversy surrounding the word “La Raza”, some countries like Venezuela have coined the term “Día de la Resistencia Indígena” to highlight the resistance of the Indigenous people and their refusal to yield to the imposition of European culture. Similarly, Indigenous Maya groups in northern Belize have refused to acknowledge the day as El Día de la Raza but rather as Indigenous Resistance Day.

Aside from the controversial new Public and Bank Holiday, holidays that were established by the government in 2021 — Emancipation Day (celebrated August 1st) and George Price Day (celebrated January 15th), will remain as holidays in the year 2022.