Ancestry Day, also known as Jour des Aieux, is a public holiday in the Republic of Haiti, and it is observed on January 2 each year. The holiday commemorates those who sacrificed their lives in the struggles for the nation's independence in the early 19th century.
Haiti is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea and it occupies the western three-eighths of the island of Hispaniola. People inhabited the islands engaging in farming, fishing, and hunting for thousands of years. Navigator Christopher Columbus first landed in Haiti in 1492 and founded the settlement.
French began to settle on the western side of the island in the early 17th century. After the war between France and Spain in 1679, Spain ceded the island's western coast to France. France named it Saint-Domingue and brought slaves from Africa to work on the sugar and coffee plantations, which made Saint-Domingue the richest colony.
However, the slaves' harsh conditions led to rebellions. In 1791, the slaves first established the armies and started the Haitian Revolution, which lasted almost 14 years. On January 1, 1804, Saint-Domingue gained its independence and was renamed with its native name of "Haiti".
During the revolution, it is estimated that approximately 350,000 people died and the majority of them were former slaves.
The following is the list of Ancestry Day in Haiti from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Ancestry Day | Jan 02, 2022 | Sunday |
| Ancestry Day | Jan 02, 2023 | Monday |
| Ancestry Day | Jan 02, 2024 | Tuesday |
| Ancestry Day | Jan 02, 2025 | Thursday |
| Ancestry Day | Jan 02, 2026 | Friday |
Please check more public holidays in the Republic of Haiti: