Holidays Around The World � Burkina Faso Holidays

Burkina Faso Independence Day

Noel — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:01:23 +0000

Burkina Faso Independence Day Date: August 5

Burkina Faso celebrates Independence Day as a public holiday.

Burkina Faso celebrates its independence day every year on August 5th. This country got independent from French rule in 1960. Before that, the territory was merged with and separated from other French territories in West Africa.

Until the end of 19th century, the empire-building Mossi dominated the history of Burkina Faso. In 1896, the French claimed the area but Mossi resistance was there till 1901, when the French captured the capital, Ouagadougou. In 1919, the colony of upper Volta was established. It was dismantled and reconstituted several times. The present borders were recognized in 1947.

Burkina Faso Independence Day History

France colonized Upper Volta in 1897. They did so as a carve-up of West Africa between Britain and herself. The French captured the country, not for any riches, but as a bridge to link their other territories. The population seemed to the French as a huge labor pool. They never invested in the country.

After the world war two, the movement for independence was growing stronger day by day in the West African countries. France recreated Upper Volta in 1947 because she feared the growth of support for the movement in Cote d’lvoire. Eventually the issue of independence was forced in the French parliament in Paris by representation of the French colonies. Thus, each colony was provided its own Government Council. So, in 1958 Maurice Yameogo of the Voltaic Democratic Union was elected as the first president of Upper Volta.

After independence, Yameogo tried to reduce the power of the Mossi rulers, but his power was reduced by the poor economy and internal conflicts. In 1965, he was reelected as president. It was quite unsurprising because all the other parties were banned. In 1966, a group of army officers headed by Lt. Col. Sangoulé Lamizana overthrew his government in a bloodless rebellion. He then became the head of the state. In 1983, another movement erupted which carved out the country’s modern identity. Thomas Sankara led it. Sankara was a staunch supporter of women’s equality. He was strongly anti-corruption and ideological. During his rule, female circumcision and prostitution were banned. He was also against polygamy. He introduced a campaign that vaccinated 3 million children against diseases like yellow fever, measles, and meningitis, in only 15 days.

Burkina Faso Independence Day Traditions and Activities

In this way, Burkina Faso has come a long way in 47 years. It has established its own identity. Every citizen of the country celebrates the Independence Day with unmatched enthusiasm. It is a fact that the country is still poor economically but it is showing a continuous growth of 5%. There are nearly 60 ethnic groups in the country and many religions, which live side by side peacefully. They all take the pledge on the Independence Day to make their country prosperous and peaceful.

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Burkina Faso Revolution Day

Noel — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 05:31:44 +0000

Burkina Faso Revolution Day Date: August 4

Burkina Faso celebrates Revolution Day as a public holiday.

Anniversary of the Revolution is a national holiday to commemorate the revolution that took place on August 5, 1960. Former Upper Volta is now known as Burkina Faso. It was named Burkina Faso after the 1983 revolution that saw the rise of Thomas Sankara to power. Burkina Faso means “the land of upright people”.

Burkina Faso Revolution Day History

Full independence was attained in 1960. The country saw its first military coup in 1966, and civilian rule returned in 1978. Another revolt took place in 1980, led by Saye Zerbo but he was later overthrown in 1982. In 1983, a counter coup was launched under the leadership of the charismatic Captain Thomas Sankara to power. On this day, the country was renamed as Burkina Faso. As mentioned before it means “the land of upright people”, in More and Dioula which are the major native languages of the country. Literally, “Burkina” mean the “men of integrity” in More language, and the meaning of “Faso” is “father’s house” in Dioula.

The Republic of Upper Volta gained freedom in 1960. The first president was Maurice Yameogo of the Voltaic Democratic Union. After he came to power, every political party was banned by Yameogo. The government survived until 1966. After that when the mass unrest grew out of control military intervened.

The military revolt deposed Yameogo. The constitution was suspended and the National Assembly was dissolved. Lt. Col. Sangoule Lamizana was placed at the head of the government. The army was there in power until 1970. After that, the constitution was ratified and Lamizana remained the head of the mixed civil military government throughout the 70s.
On November 25, 1980, the Col. Saye Zerbo overthrew the President Lamizana and left him in the bloodless coup. The 1977 constitution was eradicated and the Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress was established as the main governmental body.

CSP (Council of Popular Salvation) overthrew Zerbo in 1982. Unrest continued to grow amongst the moderates and the radicals in the CSP. Capt. Thomas Sankara, the then prime minister was arrested. The efforts to release him resulted in another military coup.

Following the coup, Sankara formed the CNR (National Council for the Revolution) and made himself the president. He was strongly anti-corruption. Sankara did a lot to “mobilize the masses”. For this purpose, he established CDR (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution). They had another function of implementing the revolutionary programs of the CNR. The exact membership of the CNR could never be known. It remained a secret till the end. The CNR contained the two small Marxist-Leninist groups. Sankara himself, Compaore, Maj. Jean-Baptiste Lingani and Capt. Henri Zongo – all the leftist military officers, who dominated the regime.

Burkina Faso Revolution Day Traditions and Activities

On August 4, 1984, the “land of honorable people”, Burkina Faso, emerged out of Upper Volta. Sankara, on this very day launched a movement to mobilize the masses. The enigmatic leader sought by word, and by deed to initiate this massive boot strap development revolution. The fellow citizens of Sankara still commemorate the endeavors of their strong ideological leader on Revolution Day.

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Labour Day; May Day; Workers’ Day; Day of Kazak

Noel — Sun, 01 May 2011 06:00:14 +0000

May Day Date: May 1

May Day is celebrated throughout most of the world as a public holiday.

May 1 is considered as the Labour Day by almost all the nations of the world. The workers of the world celebrate this as an annual holiday. This day is the result of a massive labor union movement; this day celebrates the social and economic achievements of workers. This day is also known as May Day. Not only these two names, May 1 has many other names like Worker’s day, National Unification Day, Day of Kazak people’s Unity, Eid el-Ommal, etc.

History of May Day/Labour Day

The Eight-Hour day movement is the origin of the Labour Day. This movement advocated eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of recreation for workers everywhere. It was a revolution in that period.

In Europe, this day has a much older significance. This day is celebrated as a rural festival, which is primarily more important than the Labour Day movement. This is now an international holiday and various countries hold multi-day celebrations. Some of the countries conduct parades, patriotic and labour oriented events, and shows and other events on this day. On the other hand, in Northern Europe, Walpurgis Night is on this scheduled night, and this holiday combines with the Labour Day in some nations.

Although, May 1 is considered as the Labour Day in various nations, Germany celebrates it on May 2. In 1933, Labour Day was established as an official holiday after the Nazi Party came to power. It was expected that this day would prove to be the symbol of the newfound unity between the state and the people. The next day, that is on May 2, all the free unions were prohibited and outlawed by the Nazis. Yet, since workers celebrated the holiday for numerous decades before any official state approval, the Nazi Party’s endeavor to appropriate it left no more term offense.

Although this day has many names, but the essence of them all is the same – to honor the work force of the nation.

May Day/Labour Day Traditions and Celebrations

Time has changed; so the way of celebrating the day too. Throughout the rest of the world, there are May Day marches and rallies held out in the various part of the country. In England, a grand May Day march at the the famous Brewhouse Yard gardens starts near the Castle, Nottingham.

Even today celebration of May Day has a touch of ancient culture and tradition. The maypole is still one of the major features of the May festivities with distinctive interpretations. But whatever way you look at it the theme of the May Day celebration is all about celebrating the renewal of life with new hopes, new dreams and new resolutions. May Day flower baskets are made and treats are left at the thresholds of the loved ones as a token of good wishes and love to strengthen the bondage and to rekindle the lost touches.

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Burkina Faso Observes Revolution Day

Noel — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 11:00:20 +0000

1966 Revolution Day: January 3

1966 Revolution Day is a public holiday in Burkina Faso.

The Republic of Upper Volta, now known as Burkina Faso, went through many changes after its establishment as a self-governing French colony in 1958. On December 11, 1959, Maurice Yaméogo became president of the colony, and soon after, he declared its independence from France. Over the next five years, Yaméogo’s actions caused great disapproval among citizens, leading to his ousting on January 3, 1966.

This day is still celebrated every year and is known as Revolution Day, 1966 Revolution Day, or Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d’État.

History of 1966 Revolution Day in Burkina Faso

After Maurice Yaméogo declared the Republic of Upper Volta as independent on August 5, 1960, he began work on a new constitution that would give greater presidential powers and create a single-chambered parliament, yet still allow for multiple political parties. The constitution was approved by voters on November 27, and Yaméogo was elected officially as the president under the new constitution on December 8.

However, Yaméogo didn’t wait long to change his political policy, imposing a one-party system later that month, without changing the constitution. When officials complained, Yaméogo had them arrested. The Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) party was declared as “[t]he only party that legislates in Upper Volta…”

This change, coupled with the mass organization of the RDA across all institutions great and small, brought strict controls of Upper Volta to Yaméogo and the RDA. State employees were given large salaries and unsupervised control of many aspects of the government as part of a means to “buy” a strong base of supporters.

Only the trade unions had any real power against the authoritarian government, applying unified pressure against Yaméogo’s practices. Annoyed, Yaméogo’s National Assembly put a ban on strikes and placed limitations on the rights of workers on April 24, 1964.

It wasn’t long before deficits in the budget were common, and the government had to resort to borrowing from France and Ghana. The authenticity of the loans taken out from Ghana was disputed, and they were never repaid. France cut off financial support when it closed its military base, causing even greater problems in balancing the budget.

Subsidies to schools and benefits given to families were cut, adding to the discontent of the poorer people of the Volta. At the same time, luxury spending by Yaméogo on a second presidential palace and a second marriage, accompanied by a measles epidemic, put public tensions on edge. A sham presidential re-election in October 1965 ratcheted the disdain even higher.

On December 27, Yaméogo put forward a new budget that significantly reduced spending in order to pay back numerous debts. Civil servants saw their salaries cut by as much as 20 percent and social security payments were reduced. The trade unions rebelled.

On December 31, trade leaders called for a strike to be held on January 3. Military personnel began surrounding the offices of union leaders that night, attacking with tear gas. Furious, Yaméogo ordered his trade union opponents arrested as supporters of communism on January 1. Undeterred, mass protests were held as planned on January 3, 1966. Rather than being deterred by the military presence, protesters began chanting slogans, encouraging the military to rebel against its leaders. Lt. Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana stepped up at the request of the trade unions and forced Yaméogo from power though a coup d’état, finally putting an end to his regime.

Burkina Faso’s 1966 Revolution Day Traditions, Customs and Activities

The actions taken by Lamizana, the trade unions, and the military in ousting the inept Yaméogo regime is remembered every January 3 with historical presentations and speeches by government officials.

Other interesting posts:

New Year

Noel — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:41:57 +0000

New Year Date: January 01

New Year Day is celebrated worldwide.

New Year is an extravagantly celebrated festival in all the cultures in the world. Each culture celebrates New Year according to their calendar. Countries which follow the Gregorian calendar celebrate New Year on January 1st every year which is considered the most festive day amongst all the other days of the year.

New Year History

During the Roman period the New Year was celebrated on the first day of March. Later in 47 BC, Julius Caesar made changes in the calendar and named it the Julian calendar. Marco Antonio and Augustus Caesar later modified the calendar in 44 BC and 8 BC respectively. Finally in the late 1582, Pope Gregory XIII modified the calendar to the form of the one that we all use these days.

January 1st is the first day in this calendar and is celebrated with great significance to it. The expansion of the Western culture all over the world then made January 1 a universally celebrated festival. The New Year which is celebrated worldwide is celebrated with huge fireworks and balloons etc. People wish each other for a very healthy and a prosperous year ahead.

Previously, in Jewish tradition, honey is used to represent a sweet New Year ahead, Rosh Hashana (New Year celebrations in the Jewish tradition). As the traditional meal for that holiday, apple slices are dipped in honey and eaten after a prayer and with blessings recited for a good, prosperous and sweet new year. Some Rosh Hashana greetings show an apple and honey, symbolizing the feast. In some other Jewish communities, small straws of honey are given out to usher in the New Year. The New Year feast which is always followed by the Christmas celebrations, the last week of the year is considered as a week of enjoyment and celebration in the winter season.

Many countries celebrate the New Year in a very grand way. This celebration usually consists of fireworks display and other parades and festivities. For example, London has a major fireworks display along the River Thames, followed by a parade on New Year’s Day. Once, Sydney which had more than half a million people present to witness the celebrations of New Year launched more than 80,000 fireworks at midnight. It was the highest watched celebration on tele-vision worldwide. In Valparaiso more than two million visitors witnessed the huge fireworks in a natural setting. A total of more than 21 kilometers of fireworks were set up on the bay, starting from the commercial port city of Valparaiso to Concon, Chile. These all were set up for 25 minutes of entertainment.

New Year Traditions and Activities

Usually in New York, the celebration is focused around a large crystal ball that slowly descends in a ten second countdown in Times Square, and last year was also the party with the largest number of attendees with more than three million people witnessing the New Year celebrations. Edinburgh plays host to one of the world’s largest Hogmanay (meaning ‘the last day of the year’) events. Celebration here lasts for four days and visitors from all around the globe are attracted to take part in the street parties and festivities, and attend the concerts which take place during midnight.

Important Facts about New Year

New Year is the only festival which is celebrated worldwide. Even though there is no special history behind the festival, all people around the world look forward for this celebration. New Year is a festival in which something innovative and better is done each and every year.

New Years Day is also known as:

New Year Celebrations
New Year Holidays

Burkina Faso Commemorates the Proclamation of the Republic

Noel — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:00:56 +0000

Proclamation of the Republic Date: December 11

Proclamation of the Republic is a public holiday in Burkina Faso.

Proclamation of the Republic is the National Day of Burkina Faso; it is celebrated every year on December 11. Actually, it was on August 5, 1960 that Burkina Faso gained full independence from France. But, because on August it is winter time in Burkina Faso, the government decided to celebrate the Proclamation of the Republic on December 11, the date when Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community in 1958.

History of the Proclamation of the Republic in Burkina Faso

By 1898, most of the current territory now known as Burkina Faso was controlled by the French. On March 1, 1919, France decided to gather the controlled territories in the upper part of the river Volta as the French Upper Volta. After World War II, several French colonies in Africa were given self-governance rights, and Upper Volta became the Republic of Upper Volta and a member of the Franco African Community on December 11, 1958. Full independence from France was only obtained in 1960. Upper Volta was renamed to Burkina Faso on August 4, 1984 by President Thomas Sankara.

Burkina Faso’s Proclamation of the Republic Traditions, Customs and Activities

During Proclamation of the Republic day, there are several military parades, marches and other manifestations. The country hangs flags on shops and buildings; red, green and gold are the colors for the day. The country’s capital city of Ouagadougou is filled up with military trucks cruising the streets and planes flying by. The president will officially open the celebrations, and the Bukinabe people will join him in celebrating their National Day. Even though there are lavish celebrations sponsored by the government, many cannot help but notice that so much money is spent on one-day celebrations when Burkina Faso is sixth to last place on the Human Development Index.

Other interesting posts:

Rectification Day in Burkina Faso

Noel — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:50:56 +0000

Burkina Faso Rectification Day: October 15

Rectification Day is a public holiday in Burkina Faso.

When the words “Burkina Faso” are uttered, it’s easy to imagine that they originate from a single language and have significant meaning within that language. However, the name of this small African country is completely artificial. It’s not until an analysis of the country’s most popular languages is made that the origin is understood. Using roots from those local languages, we understand it to mean “country of the free men”. Curiously, the holiday Rectification Day is celebrated not for Thomas Sankara who gave the country its name, but rather for the man who took Sankara’s place.

History of Burkina Faso Rectification Day

The territory that is now Burkina Faso was established as a colony, French Upper Volta, by the French beginning on March 1, 1919. In the 1950s the French worked towards giving autonomy to the people of Upper Volta, and the country finally gained its independence in 1960.

The country then went through periods of military and civil rule with many coups and depositions. On August 4, 1983, Thomas Sankara, a young ambitious Marxist, ousted the conservative faction in power and took control of Upper Volta backed by the powerful trade unions and left-wing parties. In 1984, Sankara gave the country its current name, Burkina Faso. Sankara implemented a number of changes to eradicate corruption and provide housing, school and clinic improvements to the people.

However, Sankara eventually became isolated for his Marxist views, and on October 15, 1987 Sankara was killed during a bloody coup attempt. Sankara’s colleague Blaise Compaoré took control of the government that day and began a long chain of policies aimed at “rectification” of the Burkinabé revolution. However, Compaoré’s involvement in the coup is highly contested, and there has been controversy about the democratic legitimacy of his 1991 and 1997 elections.

Burkina Faso Rectification Day Traditions, Customs and Activities

While Rectification Day is officially celebrated by the government, its popularity with the local Burkinabé is in question. Indeed, there
are those that celebrate Compaoré and the democratic changes he has made towards global integration, yet many youth in Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa look to Sankara as a martyr for the ideas he implemented in the 1980s.

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