The province has two significant traditional ceremonies being the Nc'wala festival celebrated in Chipata District by the Ngoni tribe during February and the Chewa Kulamba ceremony celebrated in Katete District by the Chewa Kingdom which is held annually on the last Saturday in August.

Agriculture is the major occupation in the province which accounts for 20.41 per cent of the total area cultivated in Zambia.

The province accounted for 19.61 per cent of the total agricultural production in the country with sunflower being the major crop.

The history of the province is centered around the Chewa people who under the rule of the Chewa King, His Majesty Kalonga Gawa Undi, established a vast empire extending to modern day Central Malawi and the northeastern part of Tete Province in Mozambique.

By 1957, he joined Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula's political party that supported the British Colonial Empire.

To avoid uprising, periodic fatalities and loyalty he enjoyed among masses, he supported the nationalist movement.

[7] The province was claimed as a part of Malawi in 1968 by the then Malawian President Dr. Hastings Kamazu Banda who was a supporter of the apartheid in South Africa against the wishes of Organization of African Unity (OAU).

The then Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda openly asked Malawi to go on war with Zambia to claim the province and also affirmed that Zambia would not have trade relations with Malawi until the claim on territory was withdrawn.

Luangwa Valley rifting the highlands dividing Zambia and Malawi, is located in the region.

[25] The Luangwa Valley in Eastern Province has one of the best managed wild life areas in Zambia.

Historically, the Chiefs and the people of the Kingdom petitioned the King with their troubles, while in modern times, after Kulamba was resurrected after being banned by the colonial regime, the ceremony has been focussed on the Chiefs updating their King on events within the Kingdom.

The members of the tribe and onlookers attend the event in thousands and arrive at Mutenguleni villages near the city of Chipata.

There are a Deputy Permanent Secretary, heads of government departments and civil servants at the provincial level.

[32] The administrative staff of the council is selected based on Local Government Service Commission from within or outside the district.

The government stipulates 63 different functions for the councils with the majority of them being infrastructure management and local administration.

[citation needed] Councils are mandated to maintain each of their community centres, zoos, local parks, drainage system, playgrounds, cemeteries, caravan sites, libraries, museums and art galleries.

They also work along with specific government departments for helping in agriculture, conservation of natural resources, postal service, establishing and maintaining hospitals, schools and colleges.

Sunflower was the major crop in the province with 24,053 metric tonnes, constituting 70.20 per cent of the national output.