Jamhuri Day Celebrations Around the World

Jamhuri Day is a Kenyan holiday, celebrating Kenya 's independence from Great Britain on December 12th 1963 and the establishment of the Kenyan Republic on December 12th, one year after independence. Jamhuri Day is traditionally celebrated on the twelfth of December. Nowadays, Jamhuri Day is a time for Kenyans to celebrate their independence and the freedom of their country, with traditional food, and often with political discourses and parades.

As family ties are very strong and important in Kenyan society, many relatives try to meet for the Jamhuri Day to spend and celebrate the day together. Moreover, this Kenyan holiday is also a symbol for the modernization of the Kenyan society, and is promoting and showing the importance of a strong social structure.

The celebration will be taking place not only in Kenya itself (as it will be its 53rd anniversary) but also around the world in different cities (Washington, Madrid, Paris, Vienna). They will surely be the occasion to celebrate Kenya’s unique cultural identity. Kenyans dress in traditional outfits on this day that include Kikoys, vibrantly-colored, hand-woven cloth that can be wrapped around the waist or the neck, and Kitenges, which are East-African fabrics that women wear as beautiful dresses or headscarves.

Celebrating their African heritage is very important, which is why a lot of the Kenyan Embassies around the world are promoting this day, wanting to fill it with many traditional foods, songs and dances that create a resplendent event that honors their country in the best way possible.