Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is known for its red and pink hearts and
the celebration of love. It is celebrated on February 14 throughout the world. On
Valentine’s Day people show their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards,
presenting flowers, offering sweets or chocolates and general celebrating a special
time with someone you love.
Valentine’s Day is named after a martyr called St. Valentine. St. Valentine was
a Roman priest from the 3rd century. Valentine lived during the reign of Claudius
II. Valentine secretly married young couples, some of them being soldiers. Claudius
II believed that married soldiers would not make a good army, so when he found out
what Valentine was doing, he had the priest arrested and sentenced to death.
Valentine's day is a great day to celebrate not only love but our friendships too.
People including school children often wear red, pink and white on this day. Children
love exchanging gifts, card, flowers or "valentines." A “valentine” is a special
greeting card that is sent to a loved one or even a secret admirer. If the sender
doesn’t want to be known, then the card is signed “Your Valentine”.
Human Rights day is celebrated in South Africa on the 21st March every year. This
day honours people who have lost their lives fighting for democracy. Human Rights
Day educates people to be aware of their human rights and to ensure that abuses
like apartheid, slavery and oppression never again occur.
In South Africa, Human Rights Day commemorates the Sharpeville Massacre in which
69 protestors were killed. A series of national protests against the pass laws in
1960 were planned. Black South Africans were asked to gather outside police stations
around the country on March 21 and offer themselves up for arrest, for not carrying
their pass books or dompas (dumb pass). The book was a way of controlling the movement
of black South Africans. On March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville, thousands of people
gathered to protest against carrying a pass book. Police tried to disperse the crowd.
When the crowd refused to move the police opened fire on the crowd.
Sixty-nine people were killed, and more than 300 were wounded. The police claimed
they shot at the crowd when the protestors started to throw stones, but evidence
shows that most people were shot in the back.
Shortly after the Sharpeville massacre, the South African government banned the
ANC and various other black parties, like the PAC.
Mother's Day Sunday - May 15 2011. Observed the second Sunday in May, as proposed
by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia in 1907. West Virginia was the first state to recognize
the holiday in 1910, and President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother's
Day a national holiday in 1914. Mother's Day honours Mothers all over the world.
Shavuot (Hebrew Pentecost) Wednesday - June 6 2011. This festival, sometimes called
the Feast of Weeks, or of Harvest, or of the First Fruits, falls 50 days after Passover
and originally celebrated the end of the seven-week grain-harvesting season. In
later tradition, it also celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Father's Day Sunday - June 19 2011. Observed the third Sunday in June. The exact
origin of the holiday is not clear, but it was first celebrated June 19, 1910. In
1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation making Father's Day official.
Father's Day celebrates Fathers all over the world.
Youth Day 16 June 2011 is a public holiday and is celebrated
as Youth Day in South Africa. This day was previously celebrated as Soweto Day.
The origins of this public holiday stem from the Soweto riots of 1976. A year earlier
protests started in African schools after the Bantu Education Department stated
that Afrikaans had to be used on an equal basis with English as a language of instruction
in secondary schools. This new directive along with the fact that schools for African
children were separate and different to that of white children, their facilities
were poor, classrooms overcrowded and teachers were not properly trained, pushed
the children over the edge. On 16 June 1976 more than 20 000 pupils from Soweto
began a protest march. Over the next few weeks, there were clashes with the police,
and violence among the crowds. Hundreds of people, many of them youths, were killed
and property was destroyed. June 16th honours all the young people who lost their
lives in the struggle against Apartheid. The famous photograph of Hector Pieterson
being carried away after being shot by police has become a symbol of that fateful
day. The Hector Pieterson Museum is found at 8288 Maseko Street, Orlando West, Soweto.
National Women’s Day A holiday celebrated on August 9th every year in South Africa.
This day commemorates the national march of women on this day in 1956 to petition
against legislation that required African persons to carry the "pass", special identification
documents which prevented an African's freedom of movement during the apartheid
era. The march was led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De
Bruyn.
First Day of Ramadan Monday August 1 2011. This day marks the beginning of a month-long
fast that all Muslims must keep during the daylight hours. It commemorates the first
revelation of the Qur'an. Following the last day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated
on Thursday, Oct. 2. Heritage Day South Africans celebrate their cultural heritage
and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions on the 24th September every year.
The cultural heritage of all the different cultures in South Africa is celebrated.
Heritage Day Saturday, September 24 2011. This special public holiday
is celebrated on the 24th September every year. Not only do we get a day
away from school and work but we also get a chance to celebrate our South
African heritage.read
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Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) Wednesday, September 28 2011. This day marks the
beginning of the Jewish year 5768 and opens the Ten Days of Penitence, which close
with Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Saturday October 8 2011. This day marks the end of
the Ten Days of Penitence that began with Rosh Hashanah. It is described in Leviticus
as a Sabbath of rest, and synagogue services begin the preceding sundown, resume
the following morning, and continue to sundown.