National Heroes Day in East Timor
National Heroes Day is a holiday that’s observed on the 7th of December each year in East Timor. It’s a holiday that honors the first President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Lest Nicolau Lobato on the anniversary of his death in 1978.
He was born in Soibada, Portuguese Timor in 1946 and would become the first Prime Minister of East Timor on November 28, 1975, when East Timor declared its independence from Portugal. However, his reign would only last nine days and would end on December 7th when he was killed leading the armed resistance against the Indonesian military when they invaded.
Some Interesting Facts About East Timor
We wanted to present everyone reading about National Heroes Day with some interesting facts about East Timor, so we’ve assembled the facts below for everyone’s enjoyment.
- In 2017, the population of East Time was approximately 1.2 million people.
- East-Timor is approximately 5,400 square miles in size.
- Dili is the largest city and capital of East Timor.
- The two official languages of East Timor are Portuguese and Teturn.
- East Timor has over 439 miles of coastline.
- The national dish of East Timor is Pepes Ikan. It’s fish steamed in chili sauce wrapped in a banana leaf.
Observing National Heroes Day
This holiday is observed by laying wreaths on the tombs of national heroes and by people attending special church services. People also spend time with their friends and family on this patriotic day. Since it’s a public holiday, government buildings, offices and businesses are closed on this day. It’s also a general day off for a large segment of the population of East Timor.