The Independence Day of

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

is one of the most important

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

s in the country. It is observed on May 24 every year. On this day in 1991,

Eritrean People's Liberation Front The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the Eritrean War of Independence, independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1 ...

forces moved into the capital

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

, reinstating independence, following a 30-year war against the Ethiopian military regime. Eritrea Independence Day is a national holiday, with workers given a day off. Independence Day is always celebrated on May 24 of every year in Eritrea. But the festivities are a week-long leading up to May 24 so it is referred to as “Independence Week’’or qinyat natsnet. The week-long festivities are marked by carnivals, street performances, sporting competitions, cycling races, musical concerts, parades, tent parties, much flag-waving and many displays of patriotism. During this special week, Eri-TV's schedule is sprinkled with documentaries from the armed struggle for independence to remind the population of the heavy sacrifice paid to liberate the country and defend it. Eritrea's Independence Day is also celebrated by the diaspora communities who live outside the country. The diaspora communities tend to celebrate it on weekends to attract a larger crowd. There are many concerts, picnics, barbecues, and outdoor festivities at various parks across the globe stretching from Australia to California and all around the world. Concerts, carnivals and street performances are always the big draw during Independence Week. In 2016, Eritrea's landmark Silver Jubilee Anniversary, bands and orchestras from such diverse nations as Germany, Turkey, Uganda, South Africa, Bolivia, China, Japan, Chile, Sudan, United States and Australia performed in Asmara. The Malian Superstar, Habib Koite, has also been known to perform to capacity crowds in Asmara's theaters during Independence Week. Independence Day is one of three important state-related holidays in Eritrea. The others are Martyrs' Day and September 1st Revolution Day.Eritrea
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The World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a Reference work, reference resource produced by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The off ...

''.

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

References

May observances

Society of Eritrea {{Eritrea-stub