Heritage Day – celebrating cultural diversity
Heritage Day, also known as National Braai Day takes place on 24 September every year. On this day South Africans get together to celebrate their cultural heritage in various ways. It is a celebration not only of the past, but of the contributions of the South African people in making the country what it is today.
Braai Day came about in 2005, thanks to the efforts of Jan Braai. It has become tradition for families and friends to celebrate their unique heritage by throwing some meat on the fire.
Heritage Day recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation. South Africans celebrate the day by remembering the heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa.
The legendary Zulu King Shaka played a big role in uniting the tribes of South Africa. For many years, 24th September was celebrated as Shaka Day in the KwaZulu-Natal area. When the South African parliament was considering the bill of public holidays, this day was not included, leading to protests by the Inkatha Freedom Party. In order to reach a compromise, the date was renamed Heritage Day and included in the bill.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela concisely explained it when he said the following in a Heritage Day speech:
When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.
South Africa has seen terrible struggles, and its reinvention of itself as a new nation rising from the ashes of a bitter past must be celebrated. Heritage Day gives every South African the chance to proudly display and revel in our achievements as a nation, and look forward to a peaceful and prosperous future.
To see what is happening in Paarl this Heritage Day, view our Events and Entertainment page. If you are planning to celebrate with a braai, take a look at the Top 20 Braai Spots in the Western Cape here.
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