ANTIGUA and BARBUDA

MARINA LUCAS
- Índice :

○ The location
○ History
○ Culture
○ Famous people
○ Custom and traditions
○ Typical food
○ Symbols
○ Tradicional sport
○ Curiosities
 ○ The location
-Antigua and Barbuda is located off the coast of South America and
east-southeast of Puerto Rico. It is a very popular tourist destination.
-English is the predominant language and the official currency is the
Eastern Caribbean dollar.
○ History
-The first inhabitants of the islands of Antigua and Barbuda were
the Siboney in the year 2400 BC.
-The Arawak and Carib Indian tribes populated the islands when
Columbus arrived on his second voyage in 1493.
-The island of Antigua was originally called Wadadli by the natives.
-Antigua was discovered by Christopher Columbus.
-Antigua was colonized in 1632 and Barbuda in 1661.
The English formed a colony in 1667.
-Slavery was abolished in 1834 and the islands of Antigua and
Barbuda became an independent state within the British
Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
 ○Culture
-British culture predominates but American popular culture and
fashion also influence.
- Most major media outlets are American.
- Great attention is paid to trends in the United States, going to
North America, the Island of Saint Martin, or the capital of Puerto
Rico, San Juan.

○Famous people
Christopher Columbus:
-Its name was granted in 1493, in honor of the Virgin of Antigua,
whose image is in the Cathedral of Seville.
- As for the name Barbuda, it refers to the "beards" that hung from
its palm trees and gave it that appearance.
-Antigua, also known as Wadadli, the Arawak word for Wadadli means
“our own land.”-The island was also named after Christopher
Columbus when he landed on his second voyage and saw the beards.
 ○Customs and traditions
Custom:
-Greeting: In Antigua and Barbuda it is customary to greet people you
meet by saying Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening. Failing to
greet people when entering an office, store, hotel reception or bar can
result in very slow or initially ignored service.
-Sunbathe and get naked : For the average Antiguan, topless
sunbathing is not acceptable and can attract unnecessary attention.

Tradition :
-Holidays and Festivals of Antigua and Barbuda :Each of Antigua and
Barbuda's holidays and festivals celebrate important aspects of the
islands' life and culture, from Antigua Sailing Week to the Cricket
Festival.
-Wadadli Day :This annual celebration of Antigua and Barbuda
culture takes place each February at St John's Botanical Gardens,
whose trees provide shade during the festival's war games (a board
strategy game), whose former participants have the
Prime Minister.
-International Kite Festival A & B :Every Easter weekend, thousands
of colorful fabrics soar above the sunny skies of Antigua and Barbuda
during this annual kite festival, when island residents of all ages make
and fly kites to mark the beginning of spring.
-Annual Seafood Festival :Seafood lovers won't want to miss this
annual feast of freshly caught fish and crustaceans at Urlings Wharf
every April. This festival, first founded to promote Antigua and
Barbuda's fishermen and vendors, has grown into a much larger
event, with craft booths and live musical performances.
-Sailing Week in Antigua: Only 10 boats participated in the first
Antigua Sailing Week in 1967. Today, this annual race off the south
coast of Antigua attracts more than 200 boats.

○Typical food
-The national dish is fungie and pepper. Fungie is a dish similar to
Italian polenta, made primarily with corn flour. Other local dishes
include ducana, seasoned rice, salt fish and lobster.
-There are also local sweets including: sugar cake, fudge, raspberry
and tamarind stew and peanut brittle.
-Local drinks are mauby, sea moss, tamarind juice, raspberry juice,
mango juice, lemonade, coconut milk, hibiscus juice, ginger beer, passion
fruit juice, guava juice, soursop juice and ginger beer .
 ○Symbols
-Flag of Antigua and Barbuda
The flag of Antigua and Barbuda was adopted on February 27, 1967.
Designed by school teacher Reginald Samuels, it consists of the upper
half of a sun emerging from a horizontal stripe of blue. Under this
strip there is a white background and above it, a black background.

-Coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda

The coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda was designed in 1966 by
Gordon Christopher. It was officially introduced on February 16,
1967.
-At the top of the shield, above the helmet, is a pineapple, a fruit for
which the islands are famous. There are several plants around the
shield, all abundant in the country: red hibiscus, sugar cane, and
yucca. Supporting the shield are a pair of deer that represent the
fauna of the islands. The shield's design shows the sun, which is also
found on the flag, rising from a sea of ​blue and white. The sun
symbolizes a new beginning, and the black background represents the
African origins of many of the nation's citizens. At the bottom of the
shield, facing the sea, there is a stylized sugar mill. Under the shield a
ribbon is depicted on which the national motto is written: "Each
endeavouring, all achieving."
 ○Tradicional sport
-Cricket is the most popular sport in Antigua and Barbuda; It is a
bat and ball sport, in which two teams of eleven players each face
each other. It is played on a grass field, more or less oval. In the
center of the field there is a rectangular piece of land known as the
“pitch.”
-Soccer is a very popular sport. Antigua has a national soccer team,
but it is inexperienced. Athletics are popular and there are talented
athletes who are trained from a very young age.
 ○ Curiosities
1. It was not until 1981 that Antigua and Barbuda formally
gained its independence, becoming a full member of the
Commonwealth in the process.
2. The Devil's Bridge is one of the popular attractions in the
northeastern part of Antigua. It is a spectacular bridge carved
by seawater to form a natural rock arch.
3. The island of Barbuda is a coral island, while Antigua is a
volcanic island. There are also some smaller islands that are
part of this island country.
4. In Antigua and Barbuda, compulsory education lasts 12 years.
5. The national animals are the fallow deer, the frigatebird and
the hawksbill turtle.
6. There are no rivers in Antigua and Barbuda. Drinking water is
created by desalination of ocean water.

THE END …