MIAMI, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Haitians in Miami and elsewhere in the United States celebrate their homeland's bicentennial Thursday with festivals and church services.

The celebrations are expected to be peaceful, unlike those in Haiti where more strife has resulted in about two dozen deaths since September.

The keystone of the celebration will be the Soup Joumou (pumpkin soup) United Day street festival in Miami, another festival in a North Miami park and church services.

There are no formal protests of the rule of Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide scheduled -- they took care of that last weekend.

The Miami Herald reported about 75 people rallied against Aristide Saturday in front of the federal courthouse Fort Lauderdale, waving signs calling for the ouster of "The Monster," meaning Aristide.

The day before, hundreds rallied in Miami's Little Haiti section. Supporters and opponents of the president rallied on opposite sides of a two-lane street.