Holiday Reflections on Labor Day

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Hope everyone has had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Since today is a holiday, I've been thinking a little bit about my upcoming adventure in Uganda and all the different holidays that will come and go during my time there. While I was attempting to envision what certain holidays might look like for me in Uganda, it suddenly dawned on me that Ugandans don't celebrate the majority of holidays we celebrate here in the US, so I'll probably be completely skipping out on most of the holidays I'm used to for almost a year! It's going to be quite strange to miss out on so many major holidays, especially since significant portions of Child Life Specialists' jobs revolve around commemorating every holiday under the sun with special events or big celebrations for patients and families in the hospital! I decided to make a quick list of all the major holidays that will happen while I'm in Uganda and figure out which ones Ugandans also celebrate....the universally-celebrated holidays are underlined:

Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Year's
Valentine's Day
St. Patrick's Day
Easter (*celebrated on Good Friday & Easter Monday instead of Sunday)
Mother's Day
Memorial Day
Father's Day
Fourth of July

It's going to be really interesting to totally bypass so many staple holidays! However, after a little bit of researching, I also discovered that I'm going to have the opportunity to experience several new Uganda-specific holidays while I'm over there! Here's a list and a short description of the new holidays I'll be celebrating:

• Boxing Day (December 26)- a British-based holiday the day after Christmas where people give gifts ("Christmas boxes") to each other to thank them for acts of service/friendship
• Liberation Day (January 26)- marks the day that a brutal 5-year civil war was ended (in 1986) and current Ugandan President Museveni came to power... celebrated by "hearty feasts," parades, & sporting events
• International Women's Day (March 8)- promotes women's empowerment (very important in a patriarchal society like Uganda) & marks important achievements/contributions by women
• Labour Day (May 1)- celebrates Ugandan workers and is a day set aside for the Ugandan government to address issues like underemployment, fair wages, creation of new jobs, etc.
• Martyrs' Day (June 3)- commemorates the deaths of 45 Christians who were murdered under an ancient Ugandan tribal king...marked by church services & week-long Christian pilgrimages
• Heroes' Day (June 9)- commemorates the thousands of Ugandans who died during the brutal 5-year civil war in the 1980's

There are a few other major holidays that the nation of Uganda celebrates as well, but I won't be there for them (ie- Uganda's Independence Day on October 9, and 2 Muslim holidays related to the end of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice). 

So...although it's definitely going to be weird to skip out on important holidays like Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Valentine's Day, I'm really excited to learn about and experience several new Ugandan holidays throughout the year! And who knows...maybe I'll even introduce Thanksgiving to the pastor's family I'll be staying with for the first 3 months by cooking them an "American" feast?!? 

Blessings to all of you! Thank-you SO much to everyone who has committed to praying for me as I prepare to leave in 6 weeks and to those who have provided me with financial support so my work in Uganda can become a reality! Stay tuned for a post later this week detailing some important information about the country of Uganda!