Second New Year Or Tweede Nuwejaar In Cape Town, South Africa Editorial Image

2nd New Year or Tweede Nuwejaar is rooted in the slave history of Cape Town. Slaves only had one day off per year. They celebrate it by playing traditional ghoema music and by participating in street parades. It is rooted in the Cape's infamous slave trade. The second of January was originally a celebratory day granted to the Indonesian, Indian, Middle Eastern and African slaves who worked in Cape Dutch colonies in the mid 1800s. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, the Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year) became a celebration of freedom marked with street parades and music. Thousands of minstrel troupes from all over Cape Town perform in the streets of the city centre from District Six to Rose street in Bo Kaap.