Repentance Day
Encyclopedia
Repentance Day, on 26 August, is a public holiday
in Papua New Guinea
. It is celebrated by "prayer ceremonies" across the country.
It was established on 15 August 2011 by Prime Minister
Peter O'Neill
, who had come to power less than two weeks earlier. The announcement came only eleven days before the first Repentance Day was to be celebrated. It was made a public holiday at the request of "a group of churches", which had initially submitted the request to O'Neill's predecessor Sam Abal
, before the latter was ousted in a motion of no confidence
.
Virtually no explanation of the day's purpose was provided by the government, reportedly creating some confusion among Papua New Guineans as 26 August arrived. Pastor Jack Edward of the Shema Evangelism Ministry was made Repentance Day coordinator, and said the purpose was for people to "come together and pray and ask the Lord
to forgive us for the wrongs that are happening in our nation". It was intended as a day of Christian
prayer, in a predominantly Christian nation. Imam
Mikail Abdul Aziz, described by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
as the "spiritual leader" of Papua New Guinea's "4,000 practising Muslims
", said he did not oppose the idea, but it might send a "wrong message", as repentance
should occur every time a wrong is committed, rather than once a year. As the day was little publicised, many businesses were initially uncertain whether it was indeed supposed to be a public holiday, requiring them to give their employees the day off or pay them double. The Port Moresby
Chamber of Commerce obtained a copy of the Government Gazette to convince its members that it was indeed a public holiday.
On 26 August 2011, prayer ceremonies were held in churches throughout the country. In Port Moresby
, the capital, a ceremony at the Rev Sioni Kami Memorial church was attended by "representatives of 20 provinces" and various "national leaders" and "church leaders", for "special prayer and Bible readings" and "thanksgiving prayers". Participants asked God to lead the nation. A parish priest in Boroko
was reported by The National
as saying that religious values were "essential to our identity and our culture
", and people's church attendance on such a public holiday revealed a difference between Papua New Guinean identity and that of many other countries. On Karanget Island in Madang
, the day was celebrated through children depositing the national flag
on a church altar, symbolically "deliver[ing] the nation to God".
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....
in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It is celebrated by "prayer ceremonies" across the country.
It was established on 15 August 2011 by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, is Papua New Guinea's head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Since 2 August 2011, the Prime Minister has been Peter O’Neill of the People's National Congress Party.-List...
Peter O'Neill
Peter O'Neill
Peter Charles Paire O'Neill, CMG is the current Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. He is the leader of the People's National Congress and represents the constituency of Ialibu-Pangia.-Biography:...
, who had come to power less than two weeks earlier. The announcement came only eleven days before the first Repentance Day was to be celebrated. It was made a public holiday at the request of "a group of churches", which had initially submitted the request to O'Neill's predecessor Sam Abal
Sam Abal
Samuel Tei "Sam" Abal is a Papua New Guinean politician. Abal, who previously served as Foreign Minister from August 2007 to December 2010, became the Deputy Prime Minister of the country in a cabinet reshuffle by Michael Somare on 7 December 2010...
, before the latter was ousted in a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
.
Virtually no explanation of the day's purpose was provided by the government, reportedly creating some confusion among Papua New Guineans as 26 August arrived. Pastor Jack Edward of the Shema Evangelism Ministry was made Repentance Day coordinator, and said the purpose was for people to "come together and pray and ask the Lord
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
to forgive us for the wrongs that are happening in our nation". It was intended as a day of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
prayer, in a predominantly Christian nation. Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Mikail Abdul Aziz, described by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
as the "spiritual leader" of Papua New Guinea's "4,000 practising Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
", said he did not oppose the idea, but it might send a "wrong message", as repentance
Repentance (theology)
Repentance is a theological term that describes a stage in salvation where the believer turns away from sin. As a distinct stage in the ordo salutis its position is disputed, with some theological traditions arguing it occurs prior to faith and the Reformed theological tradition arguing it occurs...
should occur every time a wrong is committed, rather than once a year. As the day was little publicised, many businesses were initially uncertain whether it was indeed supposed to be a public holiday, requiring them to give their employees the day off or pay them double. The Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
Chamber of Commerce obtained a copy of the Government Gazette to convince its members that it was indeed a public holiday.
On 26 August 2011, prayer ceremonies were held in churches throughout the country. In Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, the capital, a ceremony at the Rev Sioni Kami Memorial church was attended by "representatives of 20 provinces" and various "national leaders" and "church leaders", for "special prayer and Bible readings" and "thanksgiving prayers". Participants asked God to lead the nation. A parish priest in Boroko
Boroko
Boroko is a major suburb and commercial centre in Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea....
was reported by The National
The National (Papua New Guinea)
The National is a daily, English language newspaper published in Papua New Guinea. It is also published online. The paper is owned by Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau.-External links:*...
as saying that religious values were "essential to our identity and our culture
Culture of Papua New Guinea
The culture of Papua New Guinea is many-sided and complex. It is estimated that more than 1000 different cultural groups exist in Papua New Guinea, and most groups have their own language...
", and people's church attendance on such a public holiday revealed a difference between Papua New Guinean identity and that of many other countries. On Karanget Island in Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
, the day was celebrated through children depositing the national flag
Flag of Papua New Guinea
The flag of Papua New Guinea was adopted on July 1, 1971. In the hoist, it depicts the Southern Cross; in the fly, a raggiana bird of paradise is silhouetted. The designer of the flag was 15 year old schoolgirl Susan Huhume who won a nationwide competition for a new flag design in 1971.Red and...
on a church altar, symbolically "deliver[ing] the nation to God".