National heritage day in South Africa

September is Heritage Month in South Africa, with National Heritage Day celebrated on 24 September. Each year in early spring, South African's get together to eat, drink and be merry, celebrating what makes us all uniquely South African. Heritage Day was declared a public holiday in 1996 and, since then, the 24th of September has been a day that encourages us to celebrate our cultural traditions, communities and heritage.

Heritage Day recognises and celebrates the cultural diversity of the country. In its essence, the day embraces and celebrates the true meaning of why we call ourselves the Rainbow Nation. South Africans mark the day by wearing traditional outfits, eating traditional foods, learning about different cultures and spending time with friends and family.

The 24th of September marks Shaka's Day, a day which commemorates the legendary King Shaka Zulu. Shaka Zulu played an important role in uniting different Zulu clans into one cohesive Zulu nation in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Each year, thousands of people gather at King Shaka's grave to pay tribute to him and to honour his memory.

When the New South African Parliament omitted Shaka Day from the proposed Public Holidays Bill, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a South African political party with a large Zulu membership, objected. Eventually, a compromise was reached, and it was decided that a national holiday would be created where South Africans of all cultures and creeds could come together and celebrate their diverse cultural heritage.

In an address marking Heritage Day in 1996, the late former State President Nelson Mandela said, "When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation."

We did so, knowing that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture. We knew that, if indeed our nation had to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy.

In more recent years, National Heritage Day has become synonymous with National Braai (Barbecue) Day. Some call it Shisa Nyama or Ukosa, while others call it a braai, but whatever the occasion, nothing beats gathering around a wood fire to cook a meal and celebrate together.

In 2007, Archbishop Desmond Tutu became patron of South Africa's Braai Day, backing the idea that donning an apron to braai a boerewors (farm sausage) could be a unifying force in a country that had been previously divided. The following year, the initiative received the endorsement of South Africa's National Heritage Council. It couldn't be a more apt way to bring a rich and culturally diverse nation such as South Africa together in unity, because what good South African doesn't love a braai?