About Heritage Day
What will you be up to on Heritage Day? Here are some things to do, descriptions and more.
Sunday, 24 September is that time of the year when all South Africans celebrate their rich heritage.
Heritage Day (English), I langa lwama siko e sintu (isiZulu), imini yoku khumbula noku hlonipha amasiko nezithethe zakwantu (isiXhosa) and Erfenisdag (Afrikaans) is a public holiday that falls on 24 September.
The South African government said the following: “Heritage Day on 24 September recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation” while a South African website, Public Holidays at https://publicholidays.net.za/heritage-day/ said, “Heritage Day is a reminder of the nation’s cultural diversity and a chance to express national unity.”
This year, Monday, 25 September is an additional Heritage Day Holiday.
Heritage Day is also known as National Braai Day. On 5 September 2007, Nobel Peace Prize winner Emeritus Archbishop Doctor Desmond Tutu was appointment as patron of the National Braai Day initiative.
The official website braai.com describes National Braai Day further as, “A call to all South Africans to unite around fires, share our heritage and wave our flag on 24 September every year. Across race, language, region and religion, we all share one common heritage. It is called many things: Chisa Nyama, Braai and Ukosa to name few. Although the ingredients may differ, the one thing that never changes is that when we have something to celebrate we light fires, and prepare great feasts. National Braai Day is a noble cause, which will contribute to strengthening South Africa as a nation through this act of nation-building and social cohesion.”
Various events are staged throughout the country to commemorate this day.
Things to do on Heritage Day include:
• Having a braai
• Visiting Hout Bay for the reenactment of the Battle of Hout Bay
• Touring sites associated with Nelson Mandela’s life and career. Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg and the Mandela House Museum in Soweto are closest to Randfontein
• Visiting the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg
(Source: publicholidays.net.za, www.gov.za, www.braai.com)
What will you be up to on Heritage Day? Let us know via email by sending your photos and a short description to [email protected].
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