It is a family reunion, when many travel from as far as other lands to participate. It is the bringing of people together in their traditional ways. Their music is the healing spirit that connects their laughter with their pain. Women sing their songs while they work, the rhythm freeing them of fatigue by relieving the monotony of work. There are songs for the fishermen, songs to help build houses, have babies, and remember the past.
Music is in their soul and indeed, their walk is graceful and often more like dancing.
The ritual is done after a relative's death to insure that the spirit stays, because the Garifuna believe that only the body leaves, not the spirit. Living where the land and sea come together, they live in harmony of spirit connecting man with nature, fishing from dugout boats and a man's success and individuality is still measured by his boat, although it has become harder to survive and scratch out a living. Besides the traditional ways of fishing and farming, many Garifuna are seen selling cold drinks, coconut bread to the tourists, and lottery tickets. Women, small children, and old men are the ones seen in the villages during the day. The older children have gone to school, and the men are fishing or in the nearest town, trying to make ends meet.