Happy New Year and Happy Haitian Independence Day!

On today, Haitian Independence Day, Haitians everywhere are celebrating with traditional pumpkin soup, or soup joumou, a classic dish served on New Year's Day. Before Haiti became a free nation, soup joumou was originally reserved for slave owners; others were forbidden from eating it. Then came the only slave rebellion in history that ended in the founding of a sovereign nation. The Haitian Revolution officially ended on January 1, 1804, giving Haitians two great reasons to celebrate on this day each year—and the soup became a symbol for freedom.

Even more reason to celebrate this year: the United Nations cultural agency, or UNESCO, added soup joumou to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in December. UNESCO wrote in a statement,"It is a celebratory dish, deeply rooted in Haitian identity, and its preparation promotes social cohesion and belonging among communities."

In honor of this unique and important Haitian soup, we would like to share a few recipes from the THP community. You can download the recipes below, and we hope you enjoy soup joumou as it is intended: a celebration of Haiti!

Thank you. For your support. For your prayers. For caring. For being a part of something amazing. YOU made 2021 a success, and we couldn't be more grateful. Happy New Year! And Happy Haitian Independence Day!

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