Once there was a time when blacks could not vote or even eat in the same places as whites in South Africa. This time was called apartheid. When apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela and the national congress came into power, they decided to change the holidays to make them more meaningful to all South Africans.

One holiday that is meaningful to the South Africans is Mandela day. This day is very meaningful to The South Africans because Nelson Mandela was the person who ended the dark time of apartheid for them. This holiday is also very meaningful to the South Africans because of the way they spend it. They spend it by spending sixty-seven minutes helping in the community especially somebody less fortunate because nelson spent sixty-seven years fighting against apartheid. This is important for them because apartheid was a hard time for them and this day shows all the effort the people of South Africa especially Nelson Mandela went through to end it. This is also important for South Africans because the sixty-seven minutes help give the less fortunate people help and support from the community.

Another holiday that is meaningful to South Africans is Heritage day. This day is meaningful to South Africans because it is a day for all people of all cultures and races to celebrate their diversity. This day is also very meaningful to South Africans because this day shows that it is alright to be different. This is important to have after apartheid because it shows that it is safe to be different. This is also important because it shows that everybody is welcome in South Africa and nobody will be discriminated.

The next holiday that is important to the people of South Africa is Human Rights day.
This holiday is meaningful to the South Africans because this date was made because sixty-nine people were killed in 1960 in Sharpsville while peacefully protesting. This holiday is to insure that something like this never happens again. Another reason this holiday is meaningful to the South Africans is because it shows that they are safe and there are people who are making sure things are safe from them. This is important because this day represents a change that the people had given their lives for. It’s also important because it is a day to remember and it keeps both sides in line and helps them remember their rights.

One of the most important holidays is freedom day because this is the first day that no matter what race or religion you were you could vote. This was meaningful to the South Africans because it was the signal that the apartheid was over. This was also very meaningful because this was the day that the new declaration was put into action. This is important because it is a new beginning for the people and another reason this important is that all the new rules apply and now Blacks had all the same rights as Whites.

One of the last important holidays is the Day of Reconciliation. This is meaningful to South Africans because it is on this day that a group of Voortrekkers defeated a group of Zulu warriors at the Battle of Blood River. This is also meaningful to South Africans because it is a day for them to focus on overcoming fighting of the past and focusing on the future. It shows that they can overcome adversity and it also shows that they can accomplish anything if they try hard enough. It also shows that if they can overcome things in the past then they can overcome them in the future too.

South African holidays are very different from American holidays and each holiday means something for the people of South Africa. Many holidays in South Africa celebrate the end of apartheid and remind the citizens of their rights. Each holiday represents something special for the South Africans.


Works Cited

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