Because we’re located in the Southern Hemisphere, South Africans celebrate year end festivities in Summer.  Summer heralds hot, sunny days and some spectacular afternoon thunderstorms….

So what does a South African year end festivity look like?  They are generally characterised by two main ‘ingredients’…. Beach and Braai!

The word braaivleis is Afrikaans for ‘roasted meat’.

The word braai (pronounced ‘bry’, rhyming with the word ‘cry’ and plural braais) is Afrikaans for ‘barbecue’ or ‘roast’.  It originated with the Afrikaner people, but has since been adopted by South Africans of many ethnic backgrounds.  The word vleis is Afrikaans for ‘meat’.

And then there are the beaches….  I’ll let the pictures do the talking!