SAFRICA-CELEBRATION-AFRIKANERS

A boy looks at a marble frieze that depicts the Battle of Blood River, on a wall of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa, as Afrikaners gather to celebrate the Day of the Vow (Geloftedag) on December 16, 2017. The Day of the Vow (Geloftedag), which has since been renamed Reconciliation Day, is celebrated by traditional Afrikaners as the day they defeated the Zulu's at the Battle of Blood River, in KwaZulu Natal, on December 16, 1838. The besieged Voortrekkers took a public vow (or covenant) together before the battle. In return for God's help in obtaining victory, they promised to build a church and forever honour this day as a holy day of God. They vowed that they and their descendants would keep the day as a holy Sabbath. The Voortrekker Monument situated in Pretoria was built as the church to forever honour that day. Construction of the Voortrekker Monument started in 1937 and it officially opened in 1949. The monument was designed in such a way that on the 16th of December at noon a beam of light enters through the roof and shines on the cenotaph with the words "Us for you South Africa" written on it. / AFP PHOTO / WIKUS DE WET (Photo credit should read WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)