Today in history: Day of Reconciliation
e celebration can take the form of remembering past history, recognising veterans' contributions, marching and other festivities.
The first time the Day of Reconciliation was celebrated as a public holiday was in 1995 as the new government chose to represent national unity by choosing a date that had significance for ‘both the Afrikaner and liberation struggle traditions’.
The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa on 16 December.
The celebration can take the form of remembering past history, recognising veterans’ contributions, marching and other festivities.
The origins of the celebration for the Afrikaners goes back to the Day of the Vow, celebrated on 16 December 1864 in commemoration of the Voortrekker victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River.
For African people, the date has been significant as one of both peaceful protests against racial injustice and of the founding of the more militant Umkhonto we Sizwe by the African National Congress (ANC) on 16 December 1961.
Nelson Mandela and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission chose a day that was special to both ethnic groups in the country in order to work on healing the damage done by apartheid.
Information sourced from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
