Culture

Holidays[113]

Date English Name

1 January New Year's Day

1 May Labour Day

25 May African Liberation Day

11 August Independence Day

1 November All Saints' Day

28 November Republic Day

1 December Freedom and Democracy Day

25 December Christmas

Because of its great variety of peoples and languages, Chad possesses a rich cultural heritage.
The Chadian government has actively promoted Chadian culture and national traditions by
opening the Chad National Museum and the Chad Cultural Centre.[42] Six national holidays are
observed throughout the year, and movable holidays include the Christian holiday of Easter
Monday and the Muslim holidays of Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, and Eid Milad Nnabi.[113]

Music

The music of Chad includes a number of unusual instruments such as the kinde, a type of bow
harp; the kakaki, a long tin horn; and the hu hu, a stringed instrument that uses calabashes as
loudspeakers. Other instruments and their combinations are more linked to specific ethnic
groups: the Sara prefer whistles, balafones, harps and kodjo drums; and the Kanembu combine
the sounds of drums with those of flute-like instruments.[128]
A Chadian tailor sells traditional dresses.

The music group Chari Jazz formed in 1964 and initiated Chad's modern music scene. Later,
more renowned groups such as African Melody and International Challal attempted to mix
modernity and tradition. Popular groups such as Tibesti have clung faster to their heritage by
drawing on sai, a traditional style of music from southern Chad. The people of Chad have
customarily disdained modern music. However, in 1995 greater interest has developed and
fostered the distribution of CDs and audio cassettes featuring Chadian artists. Piracy and a lack
of legal protections for artists' rights remain problems to further development of the Chadian
music industry.[128][129]