Mennonites in Belize

    A section of the pedriatic ward.      The last few days before the 24th I was casually chatting with individuals from the Hoover Mennonites (often mistaken for Amish) from Springfield and Birdwalk in the central highlands, piecing together a narrative of what Christmas would be like in such a rigid and disciplined conservative community. You see even though they are much more conservative than their Old Colony cousins in the north, they are also much more open-minded in religion and tolerance of the cultures around them. I had been debating whether I should pay some friends a surprise visit to observe how they celebrate Christmas. They do not. Can you imagine? No special gatherings, no ham or turkey, no chicken BBQ, no tamales, no staying up until midnight on the 24th, no firecrackers, no special church service, no Christmas carolling, no handing out baskets of goodies, no rows of cookies decorated with red and green icing, no children's Christmas program, n...

      In a first ever, the government of Belize has issued a sales tax waiver (12.5%) for nearly all standard rated retail goods purchased on the 14,15 and 21, 22 of December, the last two weekends before Christmas with the exception of imported hams and turkeys which have no tax until the end of this month. Fuel, liquor, tobacco and certain other items will not be exempt. The aim of the waiver is to encourage Belizeans to do their purchasing at home instead of crossing over into Mexico or Guatemala during the Christmas season. However the waiver applies to retail sales only, not to wholesaler customers.   To explain all the do's and don'ts would require a whole article by itself so I will simply post a link where my local readers can inform themselves:  GST Waiver 2024   Merry Christmas... from the...  government. Mennonite News View Blog                                 A...

A sunset in Spanish Lookout The Iguana Creek Bridge in Blackman Eddy which gets flooded every year The farm roads of Spanish Lookout A creative and rustic hobby on display in Spanish Lookout A Christmas market Emergency responders at the scene of an accident, Center Ave. Spanish Lookout Reimer's Feed Mill on a rainy evening Flash flood on a rural road in Spanish Lookout Semitrucks crossing a flooded bridge Conservative Mennonites hold a singing service Mennonite News View Blog                                       A. Mendoza