The photo taken on June 18, 2017 shows that in city of Galveston, Texas, the United States, local people participate in the parade to celebrate the Juneteenth festival with over 150 years history. (Xinhua/Robert Stanton)

by Robert Stanton

HOUSTON, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Texans young and old are celebrating the Juneteenth holiday on Monday as well as on the past weekends, which commemorates the news that slaves in Texas were free.

The holiday is specially celebrated in Galveston, an island about 72 kilometers south of Houston in southern U.S. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

Former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, that freed all slaves, but the news didn't get to Galveston until June 19, 1865.

In celebration of their newly-won freedom, a large group of men, women and children gathered in front of the Galveston County Courthouse. They then proceeded to Reedy Chapel AME Church, where the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud to the assembly.

This Juneteenth, the scenario will be recreated as celebrants again march from the courthouse to the church.

"Juneteenth is a very exciting expression of an event that reflects so much of this nation's history," said Sharon Gillins, a Galveston genealogist. "This was such a turning point in the nation's history and it changed the nation's trajectory."

It was not until Jan. 1, 1980, however, that Juneteenth was designated an official state holiday in Texas. Through the efforts of Texas State Rep. Al Edwards, Juneteenth became the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition.

Throughout Texas and beyond, African Americans are putting on their dancing shoes, firing up barbecue pits and having parties to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.

Throughout the week leading up to Juneteenth in Galveston, celebrants took part in a parade, a prayer breakfast and a gala, where the proclamation was also read.

The photo taken on June 18, 2017 shows that in the city of Galveston, Texas, the United States, local people participate in the parade to celebrate the Juneteenth festival with over 150 years history. (Xinhua/Robert Stanton)

Galveston resident Sam Collins III said that Juneteenth is about more than just dancing and enjoying tasty food. "Juneteenth is a celebration of the evolution of our country to a more perfect union," said Collins, a business owner and board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "In 1865, we were not perfect, but we're striving to become a more perfect union today."

"It's important that our children understand the foundation that they stand on - the strength of the ancestors that came before them - and that they may grow and move forward and be inspired by those ancestors," he said.

Today, Juneteenth is celebrated not only in Texas, but in cities throughout the United States.