Heroes’ Day: February 3
Heroes’ Day is a public holiday in Mozambique.
Mozambique celebrates Heroe’s Day yearly every 3rd day of February. It was instituted to commemorate the lives of fallen soldiers who fought bravely for the country’s independence in 1975 specifically to the assassinated leader of Mozambican independence movement political party, Eduardo Mondlane.
History of Heroes’ Day
When Mozambique was still under Portuguese rule, a guerrilla group called Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), a political party formed in 1962 under the leadership of Eduardo Mondlane, initiated a campaign to fight for the country’s independence. This war, later called Portuguese Colonial War, lasted from 1961–1974.
Initially, Portuguese concentrated their control on urban centers while the FRELIMO guerrillas took control of rural and tribal areas in the northern and western part of Mozambique. To receive local support for the liberation of Mozambique, FRELIMO began conducting social and economic improvement on the lives of the people on the controlled territory in the northern portion of the country. In one unfortunate event, Mondlane was assassinated in his office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by Portuguese secret police. Through the resistance and persistence to achieve independence of the ensuing FRELIMO leadership, the country achieved its independence from Portugal on June 25, 1975.
Heroes’ Day Traditions, Customs and Activities
Mozambique’s Heroes’ Day official name is Dia dos Heróis Moçambicanos. Heroes’ Day is a public holiday celebrated with parades and with speeches from various political groups aiming to support an equal or Marxist way of life for all Mozambique citizens.
Mozambican Heroes’ Day reminds all Mozambique citizens to pay homage to the sacrifices given by FRELIMO leader Eduardo Mondlane in bringing independence to the country’s more than four century colonial rule from Portugal, Samora Machel, the first president of Mozambique and other organizations who aimed for the liberation of the country for foreign rule.
Other interesting posts:
- Mozambique Victory Day
- Mozambique Celebrates Its Independence
- Mozambique Celebrates National Women’s Day
- Sao Tome and Principe’s Liberty Heroes’ Day
- Barbados Celebrates Its Heroes on National Heroes’ Day
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