This religious holiday marks the end of the Lenten season and is the first day of a long holiday weekend which includes the following Monday after Easter Sunday. On this holy day, most Bahamians attend church services and serve fish as their main meal of the day.

This holiday commemorates the day when The Bahamas became a fully independent nation in 1973, separating from the United Kingdom. However, we remain a member of The Commonwealth of Nations.

Christmas is celebrated in The Bahamas with many carnivals and festivals. We also have adopted many of the same traditions and customs of other countries. These include gift-giving, feasting and sending Christmas cards.

This holiday was granted to slaves the day after Christmas, when they were given the boxes left over from their master’s gifts. These boxes usually were sent from England and were well-crafted from fine wood. Hence the holiday is known as Boxing Day. Junkanoo parades take place on some islands to commemorate the day.

Junkanoo parades take place in most islands.