Pum, Pum, Pum,
Hear the mournful beat of the drums.
All come, all come, all come,
To honor those who died.
Pum, Pum, Pum,
Hear the joyful beat of the drums.
We sprinkle water, honey, rum and gin,
To laugh with thee and quench thy thirst.
Pum, Pum, Pum,
In the beat of our hearts,
Joy and sadness echo the drums,
As we cast these flowers into the sea,
to honor thee, to honor thee!
June 2 honors Middle Passage Remembrance Day, commemorating the terrible days
When African slaves were stuffed like sardines in the holds of ships and brought to
America.  Many died ghastly deaths.  Others, when they realized they were enslaved,
threw themselves into the ocean in the name of freedom.  The first slave ships arrived in
Charleston in 1670.  To honor the millions of slaves who died, water and honey, gin
or rum are sprinkled in the waves to give their ancestors something to drink.  Some
Throw flowers into the waves, and some beat drums.