Festivals & Events

1. Ubushiku bwa Cimishimishi

   Christmas Day (25 December)

   Usage

   25 December is a public holiday in Zambia; literally "day of Christmas"

   Grammar Note

   Ubushiku is class 14, so "of" is bwa. Christmas is also written Icimishimishi, with an initial i, and the spelling varies. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Ubushiku bwa Mwaka Upya

   New Year's Day (1 January)

   Usage

   1 January is a public holiday in Zambia; literally "day of the new year"

   Grammar Note

   Mwaka (year) with the adjective -pya "new" becomes upya. "New year" is also written umwaka upya. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Ubushiku bwa Buntungwa

   Independence Day (24 October)

   Usage

   Zambia became independent from Britain on 24 October 1964; a public holiday each year

   Grammar Note

   Ubuntungwa means "independence, freedom". After bwa the initial u is often dropped in writing. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

4. Cinshi mulesefya?

   What are you celebrating?

   Usage

   Asking when you come across a celebration

   Grammar Note

   mu-le-sefya = you (polite plural) + progressive + celebrate. The question word cinshi comes first. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Ukusefya kukacitika ni lilali?

   When does the festival take place?

   Usage

   Asking when an event is held

   Grammar Note

   Ukusefya is class 15, so the verb starts with ku-. The -ka- marks the future and ukucitika means "to happen, take place". Ni lilali comes at the end. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

Browse all TravelPhrases languages