The origins of the day go back to the great Zulu king Shaka and until recently it was referred to as Shaka's day to commemorate the fact that Shaka Zulu managed to unify many Zulu clans into one unified nation.
In 1995, when our list of public holidays were published this day was excluded from the list. The opposition party, and mainly Zulu party, Inkatha Freedom Party protested and the ANC reached an agreement and made the day what it is today.
The day has changed it's name because it represents all the different cultures in South Africa that have joined together as one nation. That meant that no matter where you come from and what your family heritage is you can celebrate the day in that heritage and still feel South Africa. To make this easier most people, including of European heritage celebrate by having what we call a braai, or in other parts of the world they call a BBQ. It is something that all South Africans can enjoy and it doesn't exclude anyone from the celebration. Due to this in 2007 Archbishop Desmond Tutu made sure that the day would from then on be called National heritage Braai day.
South African take this holiday very seriously and hardly anyone misses out on the celebration.
HAPPY BRAAI DAY :)
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