Belizeans Steadfast in Easter Fish Tradition

Easter is just around the corner, and Belizeans are busy with last-minute preparations for the long holiday weekend. At the Conch Shell Bay Market in Belize City, shoppers are selecting fish for their Easter meals. News Five’s Britney Gordon visited this morning to find out what to expect when shopping for fish this Easter.

 

Britney Gordon

“What type of fish you wanna buy this year?”

 

Richard Pascacio, Fish Buyer

“Snapper.”

 

Britney Gordon

“How you plan fi cook it?”

 

Richard Pascacio

“Fry, boil.”

 

Britney Gordon

“You cook it yourself?”

 

Richard Pascacio

“Yeah, I cook it; boil it, ih nice.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Okay. So how much fish you di buy?”

 

Richard Pascacio

“Two pounds.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Big or small fish?”

 

Richard Pascacio

“Small one. I buy weh I could afford.”

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Eating fish on Easter has been a beloved tradition for Belizeans for many years. With the high demand, prices tend to rise around this time. Fisherman Jaheim Lawrence shared the current market prices today.

 

Britney Gordon

“What da di most popular one people fi buy around this time?”

 

Jaheim Lawrence, Fisherman

“Ney same red snapper ya.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And what kind of sizes you have?”

 

Jaheim Lawrence

“We have like one pound, two pounds, three pounds, well the pound just go up. We have different kind of pounds. Just go up and with the prices and what’s not you wa see like Easter time, the price wa steep right. Fifteen to bout twelve.”

 

According to Father Jeremy Zipple, the tradition of eating fish on Easter has deep roots in Christian beliefs.

 

Father Jeremy Zipple

 “From the earliest time from the first century, Christians would abstain from eating meat on Good Friday. The day that Jesus died, there’s a number of theories on why they did, probably because meat was more expensive. It was a luxury good. That was something that only wealthier people could eat. So wealthier people would give it up and eat a very simple diet that day in honor of the day that Jesus died.”

 

The market was noticeably calmer than the fishermen typically anticipate for this time of year. Oliver Sutherland says it’s because customers stocked up on fish early to avoid the price increase.

 

Oliver Sutherland, Fisherman

“It kinda slow today, this morning because the people ney smart. They buy their fish fa last week because they know ney raise the price ah di fish. So they buy the fish and they get it clean and put it up inna di Ziploc bag. Because come to understanding, I no know if da true but ney seh the fish da over twelve. I sell fi ten, we sell fi eight. I sell the nin, four, three, five. Fir real. So the people are smart. The people come from last week and they start to take their fish and put it up.”

 

Father Zipple shares that although the tradition is practiced all over the world, Belize is unique because of its firm adherence to the practice.

 

Father Jeremy Zipple, Associate Pastor, St. Martin De Porres

“ I think Belize, everybody going out and getting their fish on Good Friday. I’ve only seen that in Belize, like everybody else does it a little more low-key. Maybe they’ll just have some vegetarian beans or a little fish or something like that. Belize is the only place where I’ve seen everybody go out and buy fish on Good Friday.”

 

Lawrence plans to spend his Easter break enjoying barbecued fish with his family and friends. He urges Belizeans to continue supporting fishermen so they can benefit from their hard work.

 

Jaheim Lawrence

“Support te labour and culture because this da like wa daily bread fi the rest ah fisherman ney. This da how the people come out and support we same way to right. Even though the price ney steep, just come out and support ney. Da noh like we di tek ney labour lightly, we just di assist ney.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.