Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday, or the death of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that made them heroes.
National Heroes' Day in Angola is a holiday in Angola on 17 September, the birthday of the national hero Agostinho Neto.
National Heroes' Day in the Bahamas has been a public holiday since 2013. It replaced Discovery Day, which celebrated the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.
National Heroes' Day is a public holiday in Barbados on 28 April, honoring the eleven national heroes of Barbados. It was first celebrated on 28 April 1998, the centenary of the birth of national hero Grantley Adams, after the passing of the Order of National Heroes Act 1998.
National Heroes' Day has been an official holiday in Bermuda since 2008, when the centre-left government declared it would replace the Queen's Official Birthday marked in June. Over 2,000 residents signed a petition in protest calling to retain the Queen's Birthday holiday.
Initially observed in October, the holiday was moved to the third Monday of June in 2009.
Currently Bermuda has eight National Heroes, voting is open to the public once every decade as of June 2022, with the next nomination period beginning in 2025.
Heroes Day is a public holiday in Cape Verde on 20 January. It commemorates the 1973 assassination of Amílcar Cabral, who is remembered as a hero for fighting western colonialism and exploitation.
The fourth Monday in January is National Heroes' Day in the Cayman Islands; it was proclaimed with the National Heroes Law, providing for the declaration of persons who have rendered exceptional service as national heroes. Numerous Caymanians have been declared national heroes, includes the Hon. James (Jim) Manoah Bodden, Mrs. Sybil I. McLaughlin, Mr. Thomas William Farrington, Mrs. Sybil Joyce Hylton, Mr. Desmond Vere Watler, Ms Mary Evelyn Wood, Cert. Hon. and William Warren Conolly.
31 December is National Heroes Day in East Timor. It commemorates the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.
Heroes' Day is celebrated on 20 January to commemorate the assassination of independence leader Amilcar Cabral in 1973.
Heroes' Day (Hungarian: Hősök napja), National Heroes' Day or the Memorial Day of Hungarian Heroes in Hungary is celebrated on 31 May as a public holiday. It is observed with military ceremonies at monuments such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Heroes' Square in Budapest all to commemorate soldiers in service to Hungary. It has been marked every year by the Hungarian Defence Force and the public since 2001.
Hari Pahlawan (Indonesian for Heroes' Day) is a national day annually celebrated on 10 November in Indonesia. The day commemorates the 1945 Battle of Surabaya, in which pro-independence Indonesian local community, as well as soldiers and militia fought against British and Dutch troops as part of the Indonesian National Revolution.
In Jamaica, Heroes' Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday of October. It started in 1969. It honours Alexander Bustamante, Jamaica's first prime minister; Nanny of the Maroons, who led a fight for independence in the early 18th century, and five other national heroes. The government also recognizes modern heroes on this date.
Mashujaa Day, also known as Heroes' Day (mashujaa is Swahili for "heroes"), is a national day in Kenya, which is observed on 20 October as a public holiday to collectively honour all those who contributed towards the struggle for Kenya's independence or positively contributed in the post independence Kenya. It was previously known as Kenyatta Day, which was celebrated to commemorate the detention in Kapenguria of freedom fighters Achieng' Oneko, Bildad Kaggia, Fred Kubai, Jomo Kenyatta, Kung'u Karumba and Paul Ngei, often referred to as the Kapenguria Six. However, following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in August 2010, Kenyatta Day was renamed.
Warriors' Day (Malay: Hari Pahlawan) is a day in Malaysia that commemorates the servicemen killed during the two World Wars and the Malayan Emergency. By extension, it honours all individuals who lost their lives in the line of duty throughout Malaysia's history. Until 2009, every year on 31 July, the King and the Prime Minister as well as senior representatives of the Royal Malaysian Police and the Armed Forces gathered at the National Monument in Lake Gardens to lay wreaths and pay homage to Malaysia's fallen heroes. They now gather at Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, National Heroes' Square, Putrajaya or in Kem Perdana in Sungai Besi, also in KL (the 2014 event was held there).
Heroes' Day is a public holiday in Mozambique on 3 February. It is set to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Portuguese Colonial War.
26 August is Heroes' Day in Namibia. It marks the beginning of the armed struggle during the Namibian War of Independence.