A newly-organized women’s group, Risel Belau (which means The Roots of Palau in English), had revived the celebration of the Belau Day on June 17 at the Belau National Museum.
The name for the women’s group was coined by Dilrengulbai Sariang Timulch and it was established on March 8, 2018 which was also in synchronized with the celebration of the International Women’s Day.
In an interview with Island Times on Sunday, Risel Belau Chairperson and Senator Uduch Senior said that the event they conducted on Sunday was to commemorate June 17, 1975, the date when a law was passed to establish the Belau Day.
The Belau Day is a celebration of Palau’s culture and traditions, Senior said, adding that it has not been celebrated for a while in Palau especially after a law was subsequently passed to repeal the law that established it.
“It was felt that we should revive it so this is a revival of the Belau Day,” Senior said.
The Risel Belau has partnered with the Society of Historians, which is comprised of experts on Palauan customs, to discuss on Palau’s three L’s: Land (Chutem), Language (Tekoi), and Life (Klebelau ma Klechibelau).
“This meeting is one of our concrete steps to be able to reach out to groups that are recognized by the government,” Senior said.
The group is open for every Palauan woman to join and they are meeting every Tuesday at the Ernguul Central Park from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Rhealyn C. Pojas)