📅 holiday

Chad Independence Day

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

— days to go

In 1883, French. Colonization Begins. The region known today as Chad was gradually conquered and incorporated into French Equatorial Africa

History

Chad gained independence from France on August 11, 1960, ending 60 years of French colonial rule as part of French Equatorial Africa. The territory was gradually colonized by France from 1883 onward, with resistance from local Sara and other ethnic groups suppressed by military force. Following World War II, France granted limited self-governance, and Chad achieved internal autonomy in 1958. François Tombalbaye, a Sara politician, became the first president of the independent Republic of Chad on August 11, 1960. Chad's independence was part of a broader wave of decolonization in French Africa. However, the country quickly experienced sectarian tensions between the Muslim north and Christian/animist south, leading to civil war and political instability that characterized much of Chad's post-independence history. August 11 commemorates Chad's emergence as a sovereign nation after decades of French colonization.

How It's Celebrated

Celebrate by learning more about the occasion, sharing on social media with relevant hashtags, participating in community events, or taking small personal actions that align with the day's theme.

Countries

🇨🇭 CH EQ

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🌍 observance Jan 2

Swiss Cheese

In 1400, s. Swiss Cheese Originated. Swiss cheese, also called Emmental cheese, has been produced in Switzerland since the 15th century, recognized for its distinctive holes or "eyes

🌍 observance Jan 4

Dimpled Chad

In 1960, s. Beginnings of Chad. In the 1960s, punch-card voting machines popularized "chad," the bits of paper punched out in the process

📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

🌍 observance Feb 17

Fasnacht Day

In 1700, s. Fasnacht Day Origins. Fasnacht(a German word for the night before a fast) Day originated in Switzerland and approaches the pre-Lenten Carnival season