Big Birthday Bash in the Old City
St Augustine Celebrates its 442nd Birthday
It’s no secret that Jamestown is celebrating America’s 400 years Anniversary in 2007. There have been news articles, interviews, television broadcasts, big name sponsors and lots of attention on the internet. Even President Bush himself paid a visit to Jamestown in May this year. But did you know that St Augustine actually celebrated its 400th birthday back in 1965? This year St. Augustine turns 442 years old and is preparing for a five-day-long birthday bash taking place from August 28th – September 1, 2007.
St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who arrived with a group of 800 people. Unlike Jamestown, the group included women and children.
According to an article atCNN.com/Travel “They, not the Pilgrims, celebrated the first Thanksgiving in the New World. The first schools, hospitals and banks in what is now the United States were built here. Not that many Americans know about it. ”
CNN also points out an important difference between Jamestown, Plymouth and St Augustine. St Augustine is still a living city while the other two are reconstructions.
Celebrating the Big Birthday
All of this has been taken into account when preparing for St. Augustine’s big day. This year’s activities will focus on the religious leaders, the Native Americans, and the women. The birthday party will of course include both a Thanksgiving celebration and birthday cake.
The five-day-long celebration starts on Tuesday August 28th with Vesper at 6:30 pm at St. Augustine Cathedral Basilica followed by a procession to the Bishop Baker Center for a presentation by Dr. Andrea Sterk.
On Wednesday August 29th the focus is on the Native Americans. The Timucuans had been living in the area for at least 500 years before the Spaniards arrived. In the archeological park at the Fountain of Youth you can learn more about their culture from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
On Thursday August 30th, find out more about how women lived in early colonial days. St. Augustine women in authentic period clothing will demonstrate a variety of 16th century skills, from hand-dyeing to weaving and much more. This event is held at Government House from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
On Friday August 31st, we celebrate entertainment. Jugglers, madrigal singers and other entertainers will gather in the gardens of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Admissions is free to the grounds.
Then on Saturday September 1, at 9:30 am the celebration begin with the landing
Re-enactment the Mission of Nombre de Dios, the exact landing point of the Spanish colonists in 1565. Today it’s marked with 208 foot steel cross erected in 1965 to commemorate the 400th birthday.
The Landing is followed, just like it was 442 years ago, with a celebration of Mass at the outdoor wooden altar.
Before the Pilgrims sat down for turkey dinner, the settlers of St. Augustine had already established a tradition with the Timbucuan. At noon the original feast will be remembered with a cooking competition featuring authentic 16th century dishes. The feast is followed by a birthday cake fiesta and the party is wrapped-up by the changing of the guard.
For details about this year’s event, please visit www.staugustinesbirthday.com