Emancipation Day on Sint Eustatius Date in the current year: July 1, 2024
The Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius, also known affectionately to the locals as Statia, is part of the Caribbean Netherlands, alongside the islands of Bonaire and Saba. Most public holidays of Sint Eustatius coincide with that of the Netherlands, but the island also has some holidays of is own. For example, Emancipation Day on Sint Eustatius is celebrated on July 1.In most countries and overseas territories in the Caribbean, Emancipation Day is celebrated on the first Monday in August (the so-called August Monday) to commemorate the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 that abolished slavery throughout the British Empire effective August 1, 1834. Yet only slaves below the age of six were freed immediately, the rest gained freedom gradually over the course of six years.
However, one should keep in mind that not all islands in the Caribbean were part of the British Empire. For example, Sint Eustatius and almost half of Saint Martin were Dutch colonies. It took the Kingdom of the Netherlands thee decades longer than the British Empire to abolish slavery: slavery in Dutch colonies was abolished on July 1, 1863, emancipating 33,000 slaves in Suriname, 12,000 in the Dutch Antilles (including Sint Eustatius), and an indeterminate number in Indonesia.
Emancipation Day on Sint Eustatius is an official holiday and a non-working day. The celebration begins at 6 a.m. and continues well into the night.
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- Public Holidays
Country
- Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba
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- Emancipation Day on Sint Eustatius, holidays on Sint Eustatius, holidays in the Caribbean Netherlands, public holidays