Haile Selassie First Victory Day celebrated in “Love and Inity”
By Suelika N. Creque
Editor-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WHILE some were marching and celebrating the significance of Labor Day yesterday, brethrens and sisterens of the Rastafarian faith were celebrating in love and ‘inity’, the First Victory Day of Haile Selassie I at the Ras Phillip Botanical Garden in Tabernacle.
The fun day kicked off with an agricultural fair which had local provisions and plants on sale, as well as homemade treats, arts and crafts and ‘ital’ dishes.
Ras Phillip, owner of the Botanical Garden, thanked everyone for coming out to the Fun Day and hoped that everyone would have “fulljoyed” themselves at his beautiful garden which is surrounded by fruit trees and the turquoise beach in the background.
He also spoke about the significance of the First Victory Day and why those who believe in the Rastafarian Movement needed to celebrate it in harmony, because on that day in 1941 His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I returned from exile and defeated the Italians who had attacked Ethiopia in 1931 and kept the nation under captivity.
The Victory Day celebration is one of the events Rastafarians celebrate throughout the year, which they mark as a special event in 
history.
The Ethiopian New Year, which is celebrated on September 11, is also celebrated and in 2007, the New Year marked the beginning of the new millennium or year 2000 in Ethiopia.
November 2, 1930 marked the coronation of the Emperor and it is also celebrated by local Rastafarians.
The fun day also featured several fun races, including lime and spoon and 100m dash, in which infants and young adults participated.
Artists from around the island who brought the curtains down were Masud Sadiki, Ras Zemenfus Kiddus, Ras Sankofa Lion, Chastizer, Ras Kalaskah, Ras Jah Fire, House of Royalty and Empress Mekkiah.
~~Adz:Left~~
