Have
you ever thought of how holidays( national days) in other countries are celebrated? Some of
those days in Cameroon are ”Youth Day”, ”Labour Day”, ”International Women’s
Day” and “National Day.” After having
moved to Canada and experienced long weekends, I realized that the traditions
around holidays are very different in comparing Canada to Cameroon. A large
proportion of the people in Cameroon are Christian, so holidays such as
Christmas and Easter are recognized the same way they are in Canada. However,
other holidays throughout the year are viewed from a different perspective in
Cameroon. I find that in Canada, many of the holidays, such as Labour Day or
Victoria Day, have very little in the way of traditional events to acknowledge
the reason for the holiday. Also, these days will always be scheduled to take
place on a Monday, to allow people the opportunity to enjoy a three day
weekend. This is certainly not a bad thing, since it allows people to spend
timewith their families or friends.
It is a different story in Cameroon. For
example, every city and village in the country will celebrate Labour Day by
having a parade, in which staff from different companies will march, and they
will prepare matching wardrobes to show the unity of the organization. Although
it is considered a day off of work, people are still committed to march in the
parade to represent their employer. Moreover, Labour Day takes place on May 1st
every year, regardless of what day of the week it falls on. It is a day of much
socializing, where all the bars and restaurants are open, but the other shops
and markets are closed.
