Heritage Day ( South Africa ) - Wikipedia Heritage Day ( South Africa ) Heritage Day Heritage Day is a day to remember and celebrate the various South African cultures and their heritage. Observed by South Africans Date 24 September First time 24 September 1995 Heritage Day is a South African public holiday celebrated on 24 September. On this day, South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people. History of Heritage Day before 1995 In KwaZulu - Natal, 24 September was known as Shaka Day, in commemoration of the Zulu King, Shaka, on the presumed date of his death in 1828. Shaka was the Zulu King who played an important role in uniting disparate Zulu clans into a cohesive nation. Each year people gather at King Shaka 's grave to honour him on this day. The Public Holidays Bill presented to the new democratic Parliament of South Africa in 1995 did not have 24 September included on the list of proposed public holidays. As a result of this exclusion, the Inkatha Freedom Party ( IFP ), a South African political party with a large Zulu membership, objected to the bill. Parliament and the IFP reached a compromise and the day was given its present title and seen as a public holiday.... when South Africans celebrate the diverse cultural heritage that makes up a `` rainbow nation ''. It is the day to celebrate the contribution of all South Africans to the building of South Africa -- Lowry 21 : 1995 Celebration of Heritage Day South Africans celebrate Heritage Day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa. Various events are staged throughout the country to commemorate this. Former Western Cape Provincial Premier Ebrahim Rasool addressed the public at a Heritage Day celebration at the Gugulethu Heritage trail in 2007 in Gugulethu. In Hout Bay, there is an army procession and a recreation of the battle fought there. In 2005, a media campaign sought to `` re-brand '' the holiday as National Braai Day, in recognition of the South African culinary tradition of holding informal backyard barbecues, or braais. On 5 September 2007, Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrated his appointment as patron of South Africa 's Braai ( Barbecue ) Day, affirming it to be a unifying force in a divided country ( by donning an apron and tucking into a boerewors sausage ). At the end of 2007 National Braai Day changed its name to Braai4Heritage and the initiative received the endorsement of South Africa 's National Heritage Council ( NHC ). Organiser Jan Scannell ( known as `` Jan Braai '' ) announced that the aim is not to have a mass braai, but with little ones, friends and family. Some have commented that this is a ploy to make people forget the history and the original meaning of why the day was created. References Jump up ^ Shaka Day, accessed 5 May 2012 Jump up ^ Boddy - Evans, Alistair. `` The Death of Shaka Zulu - 24 September 1828 ''. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 24 September 2018. Jump up ^ Lowry, Stephen ( 1995 ). Know your National Holidays. Swaziland : Macmillan. Jump up ^ National Braai Day Jump up ^ http://braai.com/our-patron-desmond-tutu/ ' Our Patron, Desmond Tutu Jump up ^ BBC NEWS, Tutu praises ' unifying ' barbecues Jump up ^ http://www.news24.com/Columnists/TOMolefe/National-Braai-Day-a-day-of-forgetting-20140917 ' National Braai Day ' a day of forgetting ; http://africasacountry.com/2013/09/some-of-my-best-friends-are-braaiers/ ' Some of my best friends are braaiers ' ' Public holidays in South Africa New Year 's Day Human Rights Day Good Friday Family Day Freedom Day Workers ' Day Youth Day National Women 's Day Heritage Day Day of Reconciliation Christmas Day Day of Goodwill Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heritage_Day_(South_Africa)&oldid=863516013 '' Categories : Public holidays in South Africa September observances South African culture Spring ( season ) events in South Africa Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from September 2018 Use South African English from September 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in South African English Infobox holiday with missing field Infobox holiday fixed day ( 2 ) Pages using infobox holiday with unknown parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014 Talk About Wikipedia Afrikaans Español Français Gaeilge IsiZulu Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Українська 中文 3 more Edit links This page was last edited on 11 October 2018, at 08 : 04 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: when did heritage day become a public holiday
Answer: 1995