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EveryMasala

Next: 12 Jan 2027

Zanzibar Revolution Day

The anniversary of the 1964 revolution, a public holiday in the archipelago whose economy depended on cloves.

A tile drawn for this day, not a photograph.

Spices for Zanzibar Revolution Day

On 12 January Zanzibaris mark the end of the sultanate in 1964. Cloves, the islands' main export, are central to the story: the plantations were the base of the old order, and after the revolution they became state property. The public holiday is spent in feasting, with pilau and biryani spiced with cloves, cardamom, cumin and cinnamon, and coconut-rich fish curry. A trip to a spice farm is the usual tourist visit.

The spices

CloveThe old backbone of the economy.CardamomIn pilau and tea.CuminWhole in pilau.
About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Zanzibar Revolution" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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