Garifuna Mass In Remembrance of The Victims of The Happy Land Fire of 1990 to take place on SUNDAY, March 28th 2021 in the Bronx
.
.
Copyright 2021 by Teofilo Colon Jr a.k.a. “Tio Teo” for Being Garifuna. All Rights Reserved. Contact Tio Teo.
.
Bronx, New York – The Pastoral Garifuna of St. Augustine/Our Lady of Victory Church in the Bronx invites all to a special Catholic Garifuna Mass.
.
This trilingual mass, held in three languages (Garifuna Language, Spanish Language, English Language) is being held in commemoration of the Victims of the Happy Land Social Club Fire which took place 31 years ago.
.
This Garifuna Mass will also commemorate those who have fallen victim to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
.
This Garifuna Mass will take place on SUNDAY, March 28th 2021 at St. Augustine – Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in the Bronx at 3pm.
.
St. Augustine – Our Lady of Victory Church (Bronx)
.
.
.
The Happy Land Fire of 1990 was a tragic event that took place when Cuban refugee Julio Gonzalez, was spurned by ex-girlfriend, Lydia Feliciano, who worked as a coat check girl at The Happy Land Social Club, an unlicensed club in the East Tremont section of the Bronx.
.
News reports stated that patrons of the club were celebrating Carnival at the time.
.
Julio Gonzalez was thrown out of the club after arguing with Lydia Feliciano, vowing to return. He bought a dollar’s worth of gas and set fire to the only known exit of The Happy Land Social Club.
.
The fire that was set killed most of the people partying inside of the club that night.
.
The Happy Land Social Club Fire served to introduce the Garifuna ethnic group to the general public in New York City and across the country to an extent.
.
About the Typical Happy Land Fire Commemorative Masses
.
The Commemorative Mass in Remembrance of the Victims of the Happy Land Social Club Fire is typically organized and held by Community Board 6 in the Bronx.
.
The Mass is held at St. Thomas of Aquina Church at 1900 Crotona Parkway in the East Tremont section of the Bronx.
.
It is a traditional Catholic Mass. The names of the victims of The Happy Land Social Club Fire are read by community members or relatives of the deceased.
.
After the mass, a procession of parishioners walk from St. Thomas Aquinas Church to the Happy Land Memorial, which is located on Crotona Parkway and East Tremont in the Bronx. That’s across the street from where The Happy Land Social Club was originally located.
.
.
The Happy Land Fire Commemorative Mass usually takes place on or around March 25th.
.
Last year (2020), the Happy Land Fire Commemorative Mass was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.
.
This year (2021), Community Board 6 in the Bronx announced that they will not host a Happy Land Fire Commemorative Mass because New York City hasn’t fully opened up.
.
.
They hope to host the Commemorative Mass for Victims of The Happy Land Fire next year in 2022, should New York City be opened fully back up.
.
About Garifuna Masses
.
As noted before, this particular Garifuna Mass is trilingual (Garifuna Language, Spanish Language and English Language). It is rooted in the Catholic faith and lasts about as long as a typical Catholic Mass.
.
I have another post about the annual Garifuna Mass presided over by Catholic Garifuna Priest, Father Tomas Cacho in Brooklyn in June. There you can see video clips to get a basic feel for a Catholic Garifuna Mass.
.
This Garifuna Mass at St. Augustine – Our Lady of Victory Church is open to the public and all are welcome to attend and be a part of this unique form of worship.
.
Below is video of a Garifuna Children’s Choir of Our Lady of Victory church singing Happy Birthday in the Garifuna Language to the Priest presiding over the mass that day.
.
.