Arrival Day (Guyana)

Arrival Day is a public holiday in Guyana, and it is observed on May 5 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary when the indentured labourers from India arrived in Guyana to work in sugar plantations on May 5, 1838.

Guyana is a country on the northern mainland of South America. In the late 16th century, the Dutch first established colonies in the modern-day Guyana, and worked on plantation agriculture using enslaved Africans. However, the territory was formally ceded to the United Kingdom in 1814.

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 received the Royal Assent in the British Empire in 1833, and took effect in 1834. As one of the British colonies, slavery was abolished in Guyana on August 1, 1834. However, only children under six years of age were deemed to be free, and other slaves were required to serve an apprenticeship period without pay as compensation to their owners. On August 1, 1838, the apprenticeship system finally ended and full emancipation was given to the slaves.

After the abolition of slavery, many of them refused to work on the plantations and moved to the urban areas, which caused the shortage of the agricultural labour. Indentured labourers became the new system to meet the labours requirements needed in sugarcane plantations. On May 5, 1838, the indentured labourers from India arrived in Guyana. The indentured labourers signed contracts, and they were meant to receive wages, but the wages were very low.

The following is the list of Arrival Day in Guyana from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Guyana: