January 1 New Year’s Day Celebrated in: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Chad, The Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi,…
Saba Saba – Tanzanian Holiday
Saba Saba literally translated from Swahili means “Seven Seven” or July 7. Saba Saba is a national holiday in Tanzania and is also known as “Worker’s Day”, “Industry’s Day”, or “Peasant’s Day”. On July 7, 1954 the Tanzanian political party,…
Kwanzaa
I frequently get questions about Kwanzaa and whether or not people in Africa celebrate it. Strictly speaking, Kwanzaa is not an African holiday. Generally, this time of year is when various rites of passage ceremonies take place – including circumcisions,…
Buhé
Ethiopians celebrate a holiday called Buhé (pronounced boo HAY). Buhé is celebrated on August 19th (or 20th during leap year) which is during the rainy season in Ethiopia. On the night before Buhé, households get bread dough ready for baking…
Rooibos Tea
Rooibos tea (pronounced roy boss) is cultivated, harvested and sun dried in a small area of the Cederberg region of the Western Cape province in South Africa. Rooibos is Afrikaans for “red bush”. Rooibos tea is also sometimes known as…