Founders Day, also known as Van Riebeeck’s Day, is observed in Orania, a semi-autonomous town in South Africa, on April 6. This day commemorates the arrival of the first Dutch settlers in South Africa, led by Jan van Riebeeck, who established the Cape Colony in 1652. Initially celebrated as a public holiday, it was renamed Founders Day in 1980 to honor all early settlers and was officially recognized as a national holiday in 1952. However, following the end of apartheid in 1994, it was abolished as a public holiday. In Orania, which has a population of about 2,500, residents do not celebrate South African holidays but instead observe their own, focusing on significant events in Afrikaner history. Founders Day marks both van Riebeeck’s arrival and the relocation of the first inhabitants to Orania in 1991, serving as a day of cultural significance for the Afrikaner community.