Every Day Is Special: Namibia

Showing posts with label Namibia. Show all posts

December 26 - Boxing Day in Great Britain and many other nations

Posted on December 26, 2020

This is an update of my December 26, 2009, post:

Especially common in countries that were once part of the British Empire, this bank and public holiday originally came from the tradition of giving Christmas boxes to people of "lower class." For example, merchants would give gifts to tradespeople; alms boxes in churches would be opened, and the contents would be distributed to the poor; and masters would give servants the day off and a Christmas box (gift).

Nowadays, many people use the day to make yearly donations to charities, but the day has also become associated, for many people, with shopping and sales.

Boxing Day in the U.K. will NOT look like this, not this year!
Global pandemic makes this sort of mob scene dang

Various countries have taken Boxing Day and given it their own twist - although the celebrations will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year:

Annual Sports Day – Falkland Islands
The sports played on this day include horse racing, bull riding, and sheepdog trials.

Day of Goodwill – South Africa
In 1980 Boxing Day was changed to Day of Goodwill so that South Africans could continue the “spirit of Christmas” to everyone in the country.

Family Day – Namibia, Zimbabwe, and other African nations
On this day, families play games together, feast, and remember their ancestors.

Junkanoo – British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas
This is a street parade with music. It is named after an African slave master and trader named “John Canoe,” and the festival celebrated the slaves' freedom.

Contribute!

You could continue the tradition of giving to the less fortunate by gathering boxes of canned goods for a soup kitchen, used clothes and blankets for a homeless shelter, and new cleaning supplies for a family aid organization—just to give a few examples.

Or how about honoring people who have served the community? Make up boxes (care packages) for our overseas troops, and make boxes of homemade goodies for fire fighters.

Also on this date:

St. Stephen's Day

National Candy Cane Day

Anniversary of a Curie discovery

Anniversary of the commissioning of a hospital ship

Second Day of Christmas

Boxing Day

(original post)

Anniversary of the patent for the Frisbee

Kwanza (from 12/26/11 to 1/1/12)

Day of Goodwill in South Africa

Independence and Unity Day in Slovenia

Junkanoo

Wren Day

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on:

December holidays
December birthdays
Historical anniversaries in December

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

May 4 – Cassinga Day in Namibia

Posted on May 4, 2019

Do humans love tragedy so much that violent storms and earthquakes aren't enough - that they go out of their way to cause needless tragedies?

Today the African nation of Namibia commemorates hundreds of victims of an attack by South Africa on Namibians in the town of Cassinga.

But...the town of Cassinga is located in the nation to the north of Namibia, in Angola!

During the time of the 1978 attack, Namibia was in a war of independence with South Africa, and it was using Cassinga as a training site and refugee camp.

Namibia didn't gain full independence until 1990, and it didn't gain control of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands until 1994!

I always think of Namibia in terms of the gorgeous Namib and Kalahari Deserts...

...and the place where desert meets ocean...

...but let's check out the Penguin Islands:

They are tiny and uninhabited, and they are scattered far and wide along the coastline. Some teeny "islands" are actually just rocks!

This old map was made back when Namibia was
German SouthWest Africa, before it became
territory of the United Kingdom and was administered
by South Africa.

BUT the Penguin Islands are more valuable than one would imagine, since they are rich in guano deposits (bird poop, used in fertilizers) and have even been a source of diamonds!

The islands' name comes from the fact that African penguins lives there.

In fact, lots of seabirds take sanctuary on the tiny islands. (No duh: guano!) One island, Mercury Island, is important in the life cycle of 80% of the world's black cormorants!

Also on this date:

Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands

Intergalactic Star Wars Day

Bloomsday

Maytime Frolics for Irish Fairies

Birthday of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano

Greenery Day in Japan

World Password Day

Actor and WWII hero Audrey Hepburn's birthday

Restoration of the Republic of Latvia

National Scrapbooking Day

(First Saturday of May)

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

March 21 – Independence Day in Namibia

Posted on March 21, 2018

The African nation of Namibia is small and dry - although it's got a chunk of Atlantic Ocean coast! - and it's famous for these sorts of vistas:

The complex history of Namibia since the late 1800s include it being part of the German Empire and then South Africa. In 1948 the government of South Africa installed its awful segregation- and discrimination-by-law apartheid system in the region (which was then called South West Africa), and of course the people there resisted. After several uprisings and demands for political representation, the UN said it would take responsibility for the territory, although in fact South Africa still ruled the region. In 1973, the UN recognized the South West Africa People's Organization as the official representative of the Namibian people - but still South Africa maintained the actual power. Finally, in 1985, South Africa installed an interim government in Namibia, and on this date in 1990 the country FINALLY became fully independent.

There is some good news to report:

Namibia made a successful transition from white minority apartheid rule to a parliamentary democracy!

Even though SWAPO has won every election, there are several political parties.

The nation has held local, regional, and national elections on a regular basis.

A policy of "national reconciliation" has helped the nation transition from guerrilla war against the powers-that-be to rule of law, with the government granting amnesty to anyone who fought on the losing side.