Heritage day fast facts
The day is celebrated annually on the 24 September and was known as Shaka Day.
Heritage day is a celebration of different cultures, traditions and values that form the rainbow nation of South Africa.
The day is celebrated annually on 24 September and was formerly known as Shaka’s day.
It was later renamed Heritage day to accommodate all diversities of the country.
Heritage day facts:
– Most South Africans now unofficially call heritage day, braai day or national braai day.
– Braai day came about in 2005 when a media campaign came about to rebrand the day.
– Heritage day was known as Shaka’s day in KwaZulu-Natal, to celebrate the Zulu king, Shaka Zulu who was instrumental in bringing different Zulu clans together to form the Zulu nation.
– The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) played a vital role in the renaming of Shaka’s day to heritage day to accommodate other traditions.
– South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people.
– Heritage day was first celebrated in 1995.
– According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), there are 10 declared heritage sites in South Africa:
1. Robben Island, Western Cape
2. Vredefort Dome, Free State
3. uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, KwaZulu-Natal
4. Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng
5. Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Limpopo
6. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal
7. The Castle of Good Hope, Western Cape
8. Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga
9. Nelson Mandela Museum, Mthatha, Eastern Cape
10. Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, Northern Cape
Watch this video celebrations of heritage day:
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