Labor Day Celebrations

Labor Day or “Dia dos trabalhadores” is celebrated on 1 May every year. Everything was cancelled: school, work, and banks. If this was a big enough day to have everything canceled it must have a celebration to go along with it; no big holiday goes without a celebration in Mozambique. I was not disappointed.

After getting ready for the day, I grabbed my camera and headed to the only main street in town. Disappointment spread across my fixed smile as I looked upon an empty road. Before I turned back around, a float drove by me and restored my hope in the day. My power walk kicked into sixth gear as I followed the float. As we came around the bend, I couldn’t believe it. Cars, people, and floats all lined up along the road for a big celebration.

Intricate floats lined the road. Some simple designs decorated with smiling faces and others giving a sneak peak into the daily life of the profession.

After looking at all the floats I had a clear favorite. What’s yours?

Beginning of the parade

The Hospital – Here presenting its range of capabilities, the hospital is showing patient care and a different surgery on the other side of the drape. The hospital sits on top of the main hill in Milange, and is designed as a rural hospital. It has some of the necessary equipment, but the hospital in Blantyre is the closest one that many would want to go to.

Igreja Reformada de Moçambique – The church has many projects throughout the community. Many of the missionaries from the community are here through this church. Freek, man with blond hair and glasses, is a doctor at the local hospital. Kim, to the right, partners with the hospital for community and health outreach projects. Niehan and Carmen, waving on the left, are in charge of a literacy project aimed at rural schools.

Fire Engine – This was the first time the firemen were seen in town, and they were showing off their new toy. Not entirely sure how useful they will be considering houses will never burn or burn down long before they could arrive. Hopefully this truck will never have to actually be put into use.

Teaching a class

Primary school – One of the primary schools in town. During the parade, they were giving a mock lesson equipped with a desks, students, a teacher, and a blackboard (not shown in the picture). If only this fully represented a classroom in Mozambique.

Surveyors – These people help out with the road construction. Their presence in town is hard to come by; however, you can see many of them along the road that is currently being worked on.

The Salon – Everyone likes to look good here in Mozambique, so if you are feeling like a new hairdo, this is the place to go.

Demonstrating handpump

The Center for Public Works – Demonstrating a hand pump in the back of a truck, they advocate for water security and availability in Milange.

Road Construction Company – Consisting of half of the parade by showing off their large machinery, the road construction company is supposed to be paving a road to the nearest large city in Mozambique. Funded by the EU and run by the Portuguese, this company has led to a large increase in the economy in Milange.

Olivera Commercial – One of the many places owned by Mr. Olivera, this store is in charge of the liquor for the town. This float was one of the more lively on the parade. Maybe they had a little pre-parade celebration.

The Agriculture School – They teach farming and agriculture techniques: growing vegetables and other types of produce. They seem to have a new program related to animal vaccinations. We are still unsure what ended up happening to the dog on the float.

ESPANOR – One of the local NGOs that specializes in adult and child education. They have a preschool, university, and a variety of programs including English lessons, agriculture techniques, IT programming, and clothes designing. This is one of the organizations I help out with.

Hardware Store – Representing one of the biggest hardware stores in town. The store imports many of its materials and has the largest selection of goods for the local handyman.

The Tailor – Not entirely sure where all of these tailors are concentrated, but Milange has a variety of tailors that will do anything from fix a ripped patch of clothing to creating an entirely new shirt out of capalana. The tailors are convenient if you happen to lose some weight over your stay in Mozambique.

The Crowd

After the parade, everyone piled into the sports complex. Here we saw plenty of dancing, music, presentations, and medical consultations. The hospital didn’t fully take a day off by offering a blood donation center at the edge of the party. There was a constant feeling of joy in the air, and all were there to have a good time.

Traditional drums

Dancers

Traditional dance around the drums