Angola has twelve public holidays that can be increased by bridge holidays if a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday. 2022 has fifteen national holidays. [1]
Date | English Name | Angolan Name | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
January 1 | New Year's Day | Dia de Ano Novo | |
February 4 | Day of the Beginning of the National Liberation Armed Struggle [lower-alpha 1] | Dia do Início da Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional | Celebrates the beginning in 1961 of the Angolan War of Independence |
Thursday to Tuesday before Lent February or March | Carnival | Carnaval | |
March 8 | International Women's Day | Dia Internacional da Mulher | |
March 23 | Day of Southern Africa Liberation | Dia da Libertação da África Austral | Celebrates the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale |
Friday of Holy Week March or April | Good Friday | Sexta Feira Santa | Crucifixion of Jesus |
April 4 | Peace Day | Dia da Paz | Celebrates the end of the Angolan Civil War |
May 1 | Labour Day | Dia do Trabalhador | |
September 17 | National Heroes Day | Dia do Fundador da Nação e do Herói Nacional | Birthday of Agostinho Neto, first president [3] |
November 2 | All Souls Day | Dia de Finados | |
November 11 | Independence Day | Dia da Independência | From Portugal, 1975 |
December 25 | Christmas Day | Dia de Natal | Birth of Jesus |
The current political regime in Angola is presidentialism, in which the President of the Republic is also head of state and government; it is advised by a Council of Ministers, which together with the President form the national executive power. Legislative power rests with the 220 parliamentarians elected to the National Assembly. The President of the Republic, together with the parliament, appoints the majority of the members of the two highest bodies of the judiciary, that is, the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court. The judiciary is still made up of the Court of Auditors and the Supreme Military Court.
The Angolan Armed Forces or FAA is the military of Angola. The FAA consist of the Angolan Army, the Angolan Navy and the National Air Force of Angola. Reported total manpower in 2021 was about 107,000. The FAA is headed by the Chief of the General Staff António Egídio de Sousa Santos since 2018, who reports to the minister of National Defense, currently João Ernesto dos Santos.
Cabinda is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by several political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda, known locally as Tchiowa, Tsiowa or Kiowa. The province is divided into four municipalities—Belize, Buco-Zau, Cabinda and Cacongo.
The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. The holiday came into effect in 1995 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity for the country. Recognising the need for racial harmony, the government chose the date for its significance to both Afrikaner and indigenous South African cultures. The celebration of the Day of Reconciliation can take the form of remembering past history, recognising veteran's contributions, marching, and other festivities.
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official end of World War II in Europe in the Eastern Front, with the last known shots fired on 11 May.
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, from 1977–1990 called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party, is an Angolan social democratic political party. The MPLA fought against the Portuguese Army in the Angolan War of Independence from 1961 to 1974, and defeated the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) in the Angolan Civil War. The party has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975, being the de facto government throughout the civil war and continuing to rule afterwards.
Youth Day or National Youth Day is a commemorative holiday in honour of young people, celebrated in different parts of the world on various dates throughout the year.
José Eduardo dos Santos was an Angolan politician and military officer who served as the president of Angola from 1979 to 2017. As president, dos Santos was also the commander-in-chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and president of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the party that has ruled Angola since it won independence in 1975. By the time he stepped down in 2017, he was the second-longest-serving president in Africa, surpassed only by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.
The national flag of Angola came into use when Angola gained independence on November 11, 1975. It is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half with an emblem resting at the center. It features a yellow half gear wheel crossed by a machete and crowned with a star.
António Agostinho Neto was an Angolan communist 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) in the war for independence (1961–1974). Until his death, he led the MPLA in the civil war (1975–2002). Known also for his literary activities, he is considered Angola's preeminent poet. His birthday is celebrated as National Heroes' Day, a public holiday in Angola.
The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda. Formerly under Portuguese administration, with the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975, the territory became an exclave province of the newly independent Angola. The FLEC fights the Cabinda War in the region occupied by the former kingdoms of Kakongo, Loango, and N'Goyo.
Public holidays in Italy are established by the Italian parliament and, with the exception of city or community patronal days, apply nationwide. These include a mix of national, religious and local observances. As for Whit Monday, there is an exception for South Tyrol. In Italy there are also State commemoration days, which are not public holidays.
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 made them heroes.
The military history of Angola is marked by a series of conflicts rooted in tribal conflicts, colonialism and the Cold War. During the Cold War, Angola was involved in struggles between Western powers and South Africa with the help of the Soviet Union and Cuba.
Cuba–Namibia relations are the bilateral relations between Cuba and Namibia. Both nations are members of the Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.
The Cabinda War is an ongoing separatist insurgency, waged by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) against the government of Angola. FLEC aims at the restoration of the self-proclaimed Republic of Cabinda, located within the borders of the Cabinda province of Angola.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in Middle Africa, also called Central Africa.
Angola's Independence Day commemorates the proclamation of national independence, on 11 November 1975. It honors all those who sacrificed their lives during the struggle against Portuguese rule and colonialism, and remembers all those who died in the liberation war and subsequent conflicts.
Events in the year 2024 in Angola.