Children's Day in Vanuatu

"Stop violence against children" and "Give a child the chance to express his/her opinion today" are the two main agendas raised on Children's Day in Vanuatu. Vanuatu, officially known as the Republic of Vanuatu, is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean nearby Australia and New Guinea. Children's Day in Vanuatu is celebrated on July 24th every year. The occasion is a public holiday across the country, which is marked by various events and activities. Initially, the festival was only celebrated in the capital city but today, all the 6 provinces celebrate the occasion. Browse through the lines below to know more about the celebrations and traditions of Children's Day in Vanuatu.

Children's Day Celebrations In Vanuatu

Children's Day is declared as a public holiday in Vanuatu. Hence, it is celebration and joyous time for kids there. Vanuatu has formed a committee comprising of both adult and child members that organize various events and activities on this day. Earlier in the past, only the adults were allowed to select the theme of the celebrations. However, the kids chosen in the committee have now been allowed suggest their views as well. Children's Day celebration, which was started in the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, to monitor and protect children's rights, is now celebrated in all the provinces of Vanuata.

Different activities are organized by schools, churches, local governments of the provinces and other local organizations. Speeches, dances, songs, and other competitions are held on this joyous festival. 'Save the Children' is a campaign that holds Children's Day activity in each province of Vanuatu. One such activity was organized by the campaign in 2008 where the group organized a sports day between different schools.

Children are accompanied by their parents on these activities. To add on, parents and caretakers come forward and organize a shared lunch. Kids are presented with different gifts from their parents. They spend the later part of the day with their parents. The main motive of celebrating Children's Day in Vanuatu is to spend some quality time amongst parents and children and work towards sorting out their problems.