Day of Reconciliation – a shared future for everyone
The public holiday is an attempt to strike a balance between a divided past and promoting national unity.
Just as every public holiday has a story to tell, so does 16 December. Regardless of race, culture or creed, the Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday for each and every citizen of South Africa.
This public holiday is held annually on 16 December to help South Africans reconcile the horror of the events of the past and the promise of a shared future together.
16 December was originally known as the Day of the Covenant, until 1982, when the name was officially changed to the Day of the Vow. The day was also known as Dingaan’s Day for a while, especially in the Afrikaans community, Dingaan being the leader of the Zulus at the time the original covenant was made by the Voortrekkers.
The history behind the name tells of how the Voortrekkers were preparing for a battle against the Zulus on that day in 1838. They took a vow before God that they would build a church should they be granted victory in their battle, and that they and their descendants would observe the day as a day of thanksgiving forever after. The battle, which the Voortrekkers won, was called the Battle of Blood River, because the river near the battlefield ran red with blood after the battle.
Until the advent of democracy, what was best remembered on this day is the Voortrekker Monument, near Pretoria. The idea of building the monument came from President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic, who attended the Day of the Covenant celebrations at Blood River in Natal in 1888. Building began in July 1937, and the Monument was inaugurated on 16 December 1949. The Monument’s special feature is that it was designed so the sun would shine through a hole in the roof, and fall directly on the sarcophagus on the lower level of the building, at noon on 16 December, in commemoration of the battle the Voortrekkers went through.
Once democracy was achieved, 16 December retained its status as a public holiday, but its name was changed to the Day of Reconciliation and today, in the new South Africa, it is celebrated by all races.
The holiday came into effect in 1995, after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity for the country.
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