When is Parents' Day?
Parents' Day is a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on August 1st each year.
This day is intended to honour the role of mothers and fathers in Congolese society and the importance of the family unit.
History of Parents' Day
A quick scan of our holiday lists will show that a day for Mothers and a day for Fathers is common to almost all countries. Though for the vast majority, these days are not public holidays and typically take place on a Sunday.
DR Congo is unique in two ways. Firstly it combines both days into one. Secondly, the day is a public holiday. This happens in some other countries, but that is often because they happen to celebrate the day on the same date as another public holiday - such as Mother's Day in Spain (on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) and Father's Day in Germany (on Ascension Day).
One reason for the elevated occasion in DR Congo is that families tend to be big - with the average woman having over six children - the global average is less than half that. Having so many mouths to feed means that the traditional roles of the woman looking after the home while the man works to provide for the family are entrenched and magnified, particularly due to the high levels of poverty.
People clean up the graves and pay respects to their deceased relatives in the morning before giving cards and a small gift to their parents.
