Episode 46: Emancipation Day: A New Year’s Tradition

Since 1866, local citizens have celebrated the first of January as Emancipation Day—a joyous holiday featuring parades, pageantry, singing, dancing, orations, and religious thanksgiving. The day marks the demise of slavery and the liberation of those who once formed the majority of South Carolina’s population. Now one of Charleston’s oldest public events, Emancipation Day is a noble occasion worthy of general acknowledgement and applause, regardless of one’s creed or color.