Day of the Vow

E34480

Day of the Vow is a South African Afrikaner religious and historical holiday commemorating the Voortrekkers’ victory over the Zulu at the Battle of Blood River in 1838.

Observed surface forms (4)


Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Afrikaner holiday
historical commemoration
public holiday
religious holiday
alternativeName Day of the Vow
surface form: Covenant Day

Day of the Vow
surface form: Day of the Covenant
associatedGroup Voortrekkers
associatedHistoricalFigure Andries Pretorius
associatedPeople Zulu
changedBy Government of South Africa
surface form: post-apartheid South African government
changeReason promote national unity and reconciliation
commemorates Battle of Blood River
Voortrekker victory over the Zulu
commemorationStart 19th century
controversy seen as symbol of white supremacy by many South Africans
country South Africa
date 16 December
ethnicContext Afrikaners
historicalPeriod 19th century South African frontier conflicts
languageOfName Afrikaans
English
legalStatus public holiday in the Republic of South Africa (before 1994 name change)
public holiday in the Union of South Africa
observedAs day of Afrikaner national remembrance
day of religious services
day of thanksgiving
officialRecognition recognized by Afrikaner churches before state recognition
originalName Day of Reconciliation
surface form: Dingaan’s Day
placeOfEventCommemorated Blood River
KwaZulu-Natal
politicalContext Afrikaner nationalism
apartheid-era South Africa
relatedEvent Great Trek
relatedMonument Voortrekker Monument
religiousServicesHeldAt Reformed churches in South Africa
religiousSignificance fulfilment of a vow to God by the Voortrekkers
religiousTradition Calvinism
surface form: Calvinist Christianity
successorHoliday Day of Reconciliation
successorHolidayDate 16 December
symbolicMeaning Afrikaner covenant with God
divine favor for the Voortrekkers
typicalActivities church services
commemorative gatherings
speeches on Afrikaner history
vowContent promise to build a church in gratitude
promise to commemorate the day as a religious holiday
vowMadeTo God
yearOfEventCommemorated 1838

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Day of the Vow alternativeName Day of the Vow
this entity surface form: Day of the Covenant
Day of the Vow alternativeName Day of the Vow
this entity surface form: Covenant Day
Great Trek commemoratedBy Day of the Vow
Great Trek commemoratedBy Day of the Vow
this entity surface form: Day of the Covenant
this entity surface form: Day of the Covenant
this entity surface form: Day of the Vow (Afrikaans: Geloftedag)
N. P. van Wyk Louw notableWork Day of the Vow
this entity surface form: Lojale verset