BLOGGING THE VIEW: Celebrate Heritage Day with some fun facts!

IF you’ve planned ahead and taken Monday off, you’re in for a lovely long weekend culminating in Heritage Day celebrations on Tuesday.
Any chance to relax and unwind is most welcomed by South Africans, but it is also well worth knowing what these holidays are all about.
So, to ensure you have some words of wisdom to share around the braai this 24 September, here are some fun facts about Heritage Day.

1. Heritage Day’s Zulu roots
This day used to be known as Shaka Day commemorating the famous Zulu king’s presumed date of death in 1828. King Shaka played an important role in uniting all Zulu clans, and his important legacy is felt across the province with an airport, regions and so much more named after him.

2. Officially Heritage Day
The current public holidays were officially declared in 1995 under the first democratically elected South African government. This embraced what Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu coined the Rainbow Nation to describe South Africa’s diverse cultures, customs, traditions, histories and languages. Heritage Day is a celebration of this variety.

3. Braai Day emerges
In 2005, Jan Scannell aka Jan Braai initiated the Braai Day media campaign as a way to encourage South Africans to actively celebrate their shared heritage through braais, shisanyamas and other outdoor cooking celebrations. The initiative gained so much momentum that the founder of the Rainbow Nation phrase, Tutu himself, became the national spokesperson for Braai Day.

4. South African diversity
Mzansi ranks as one of the top 10 most culturally diverse countries worldwide, based on a number of factors and considerations. These include:
· Level of ethnic diversity
· Number of immigrants
· Number of languages spoken
· Number of political parties
· Level of freedom related to religious, LGBTQ and personal liberty

5. Speaking the language
Part of our rich heritage is reflected in the many languages and vibrant dialects spoken across our nine provinces. We have 12 official languages in South Africa:
· English
· Afrikaans
· Ndebele
· Sepedi
· Xhosa
· Venda
· Tswana
· Southern Sotho
· Zulu
· Swazi or SiSwati
· Tsonga
· South African Sign Language

6. Unesco World Heritage Sites
Our heritage extends back centuries and beyond culture to our incredible natural assets as well. We currently have 12 recognised Unesco World Heritage sites that are well worth a visit.

Cultural sites
· Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa
· Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites
· Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
· Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
· Robben Island
· The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa
· Khomani Cultural Landscape

Natural sites
· Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains
· Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
· iSimangaliso Wetland Park
· Vredefort Dome

Mixed sites
· Maloti-Drakensberg Park

Now you have some good insight to share around the braai as you relax and enjoy Heritage Day 2024!

SOURCES:
www.kidsbritannica.com
www.whc.unesco.org
www.secretafrica.com
www.braai.com

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