Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that made them heroes.

Angola

National Heroes Day in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

is a holiday in Angola on 17 September, the birthday of the national hero

Agostinho Neto António Agostinho da Silva Neto (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979) was an Angolan politician and poet. He served as the first president of Angola from 1975 to 1979, having led the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) i ...

Bahamas

National Heroes Day in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

has been a public holiday since 2013. It replaced Discovery Day, which celebrated the arrival of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

to the Americas.

Barbados

National Heroes' Day is a public holiday in Barbados on April 28, honoring the eleven national heroes of Barbados.

Bermuda

National Heroes' Day has been an official holiday in Bermuda since 2008, when the centre-left government declared it would replace the Queen's Official Birthday marked in June. Over 2,000 residents signed a petition in protest calling to retain the Queen's Birthday holiday. Initially observed in October, the holiday was moved to the third Monday of June in 2009. Currently Bermuda has eight (8) National Heroes, voting is open to the public once every decade as of June 2022, with the next nomination period beginning in 2025.

Cape Verde

Heroes Day is a public holiday in Cape Verde on 20 January. It commemorates the 1973 assassination of Amílcar Cabral, who is remembered as a hero for fighting western colonialism and

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour **Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery **Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploita ...

Cayman Islands

The fourth Monday in January is National Heroes' Day in the Cayman Islands; it was proclaimed with the National Heroes Law, providing for the declaration of persons who have rendered exceptional service as national heroes. Numerous Caymanians have been declared national heroes, includes the Hon. James (Jim) Manoah Bodden, Mrs.

Sybil I. McLaughlin Sybil Ione McLaughlin (24 August 1928 – 10 May 2022) was a Caymanian politician who became the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands. She was declared a National Hero in 1996. McLaughlin was born in Mobile, Alabama ...

, Mr. Thomas William Farrington, Mrs.

Sybil Joyce Hylton Sybil Joyce Hylton MBE (25 August 1913 – 1 October 2006) was a Caymanian community volunteer and social advocate who became involved with the juvenile justice system in the 1950s. She was also known as the "Mother of probation". She lobbied the ...

, Mr. Desmond Vere Watler, Ms Mary Evelyn Wood, Cert. Hon. and William Warren Conolly.

East Timor

December 31 is

National Heroes Day Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that m ...

in East Timor. It commemorates the

Indonesian invasion of East Timor The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus ( id, Operasi Seroja), began on 7 December 1975 when the Indonesian National Armed Forces, Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-c ...

Guinea-Bissau

Heroes' Day is celebrated on

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 &ndas ...

to commemorate the assassination of independence leader Amilcar Cabral in 1973.

Hungary

Heroes' Day ( hu, Hősök napja), National Heroes' Day or the Memorial Day of Hungarian Heroes in Hungary is celebrated on the 31 May as a public holiday. It is observed with military ceremonies at monuments such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Heroes' Square in Budapest all to commemorate soldiers in service to Hungary. It has been marked every year by the Hungarian Defence Force and the public since 2001.

Indonesia

Hari Pahlawan (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

for Heroes' Day) is a Remembrance Day annually celebrated on 10 November in Indonesia. The day commemorates the 1945 Battle of Surabaya, in which pro-independence Indonesian local community, as well as soldiers and militia fought against British and Dutch troops as part of the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

Jamaica

In Jamaica, Heroes' Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday of October. It started in 1969. It honours Alexander Bustamante, Jamaica’s first prime minister; Nanny of the Maroons, who led a fight for independence in the early 18th century, and five other national heroes. The government also recognizes modern heroes on this date.

Kenya

Mashujaa Day, also known as Heroes' Day ("mashujaa" is

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

for "heroes"), is a national day in Kenya, which is observed on 20 October as a public holiday to collectively honour all those who contributed towards the struggle for Kenya's independence or positively contributed in the post independence Kenya. It was previously known as Kenyatta Day, which was celebrated to commemorate the detention in Kapenguria of freedom fighters Achieng' Oneko,

Bildad Kaggia Bildad Mwaganu Kaggia (1921 – 7 March 2005) was a Kenyan nationalist, activist, and politician. Kaggia was a member of the Mau Mau Central Committee. After independence he became a Member of Parliament. He established himself as a militant, fi ...

Fred Kubai Fred Kubai (1917–June 1, 1996) was one of the Kapenguria Six, members of the Kenya African Union arrested in 1952, tried and imprisoned. He was a Kikuyu people, Kikuyu, and a leader of the Kenya Transport Workers Union and the East African Trade ...

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

Kung'u Karumba Kung'u Karumba was a Kenyan nationalist and freedom-fighter. He was a member of the Kapenguria Six, along with Bildad Kaggia, Jomo Kenyatta, Fred Kubai, Paul Ngei, and Achieng Oneko. Kungu Karumba along with five other men, including Jomo Kenyat ...

and

Paul Ngei The Honourable Paul Joseph Ngei (18 October 1923 – 15 August 2004) was a Kenyan politician who was imprisoned for his role in the anti-colonial movement, but who went on to hold several government ministerial positions after Kenya became indepe ...

, often referred to as the

Kapenguria Six The Kapenguria Six – Bildad Kaggia, Kung'u Karumba, Jomo Kenyatta, Fred Kubai, Paul Ngei, and Achieng' Oneko – were six leading Kenyan nationalists who were arrested in 1952, tried at Kapenguria in 1952–53, and imprisoned thereafter in No ...

. However, following the promulgation of the

Constitution of Kenya The Constitution of Kenya is the supreme lawof the Republic of Kenya. There have been three significant versions of the constitution, with the most recent redraft being enabled in 2010. The 2010 edition replaced the 1963 independence constitu ...

in August 2010, Kenyatta Day was renamed.

Malaysia

Warriors' Day ( ms, Hari Pahlawan) is a day in Malaysia that commemorates the servicemen killed during the two World Wars and the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

. By extension, it honours all individuals who lost their lives in the line of duty throughout Malaysia's history. Until 2010, every year on 31 July, the King and the Prime Minister as well as senior representatives of the Royal Malaysian Police and the Armed Forces gathered at the National Monument in Lake Gardens to lay wreaths and pay homage to Malaysia's fallen heroes. They now gather at

Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur Independence Square ( ms, Dataran Merdeka) is a square located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang or simply the ''Padang'' (meaning "field" ...

, or in Kem Perdana in Sungai Besi, also in KL (the 2014 event was held there).

Mozambique

Heroes' Day is a public holiday in Mozambique on 3 February. It is set to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Portuguese Colonial War.

Namibia

26 August is Heroes' Day in Namibia. It marks the beginning of the armed struggle during the Namibian War of Independence.

Paraguay

Heroes' Day in Paraguay is a national public holiday held on 1 March. It commemorates the death of President Francisco Solano López at the

battle of Cerro Cora A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

in 1870, ending the

War of the Triple Alliance The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

Philippines

National Heroes' Day ( Filipino: ''Araw ng mga Bayani'') is a national public holiday in the Philippines observed every last Monday in August to mark the anniversary of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the beginning of the Philippine Revolution by the '' Katipunan'' and its ''Supremo''

Andrés Bonifacio Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (, ; November 30, 1863May 10, 1897) was a Filipino Freemason and revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered one of the national heroes of the Philippines ...

in 1896. This holiday was originally kept on the last Sunday of August in 1931, but in 2007 was moved to its present date by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to reduce work disruptions, allow for longer weekends, and boost domestic tourism and businesses.

Romania

Heroes' Day in Romania is celebrated on the 40th day ( Feast of the Ascension) from the Orthodox Easter. It is a national holiday; observed with military and religious festivities at the monuments dedicated to the national heroes (such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier).

Rwanda

National Heroes Day is a public holiday in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

on 1 February.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

National Heroes Day is a holiday in Saint Kitts and Nevis that is observed annually on 16 September. It honours individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the nation. There are currently five national heroes: Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, Paul Southwell, Joseph Nathaniel France, Simeon Daniel and

Kennedy Simmonds Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG (born 12 April 1936), is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995. Life and career Simmonds was born in Basseterre on 12 Apri ...

. *The holiday was established in 1996 by the Saint Kitts and Nevis Federal Parliament with the passage of the ''National Honours Act''. The first observance of the holiday was on 16 September 1998 to honour Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, the first

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of Saint Kitts and Nevis and a former labour activist. The holiday is observed on his birthday.

Uganda

Heroes' Day in Uganda takes place every 9 June.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom first celebrated a National Heroes Day in 2011, on 21 October (the same day as the victory at Battle of Trafalgar). It was founded by Danny Glavin, a teacher from

Fareham, Hampshire Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

. After hearing about the tragic death of his childhood friend whilst serving in Afghanistan, he decided to fund-raise for a military charity in his memory. The day was endorsed by Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

. Now Glavin has founded The Inspiration Federation and coordinates the Heroes Day Educational Programme within schools across the United Kingdom.

Zambia

Heroes' Day in Zambia is a public holiday in a cluster four days of holidays observed over the first weekend in July. The other holidays are the

Zambia International Trade Fair Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are th ...

and Unity Day, celebrating a country with six main languages. Heroes Day is a memorial day for those who perished during the independence struggles.

Zimbabwe

Heroes' Day in Zimbabwe is a public holiday observed on the 2nd Monday of August each year. This is a day to remember those who died during the liberation war or those who were declared National Heroes when they died and are buried at the National shrine, The National Heroes Acre in Harare. There are also 10 Provincial Heroes Acres where those who have not been accorded the highest honour but are recognised for the role they played during the Liberation War and are buried in the Provinces they would have come from.

References

{{Portal, Holidays Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) Types of national holidays Heroes Public holidays in the United Kingdom Public holidays in Rwanda