Zulu Maiden Dance Festival - South Africa




The Royal Reed Dance or better still know in the Zulu dialect as the Umkhosi woMhlanga is a popular festival ceremony for the Zulus in the Republic of South Africa, Swaziland and the Zulu people living in other parts of the southern Africa regions.

The festival  started in the early 1940s from the umcwasho. The tradition was resurrected in 1984 by the late Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. Zwelithini responded to criticism by stating that his choice had a positive impact on the prevention of AIDS and premarital sex. When young girls were placed in a regiment to ensure that their virginity were intact before marriage. The festival also serves as an opportunity for the Zulu King to choose a wife from the virgins. The virgin girls known as imbali in the Zulu language are led to a river born by the Princess to cut a Reed. A reed is a strong cane that grows around small rivers.The reed is believed to be the symbol of virginity.


The girls wear an attire known in the Zulu language as ‘izigege’ and ‘izinculuba’ which is some kind of short skirt that show their bottoms but their upper part including their breast is not covered. It is completely naked.The person to initiate the virgins is the zulu princess.

The principal role of the princess is to teach the virgins how to behave when they start to date men, how to choose good husbands and how to treat their husbands when eventually they get married to them.

The procession begins at the riverside and with the princess leading the delegation, they march straight to the Enyokeni Royal Palace where the Zulu king is seated on his royal throne in a very colourful and well costumed African ornaments.

It is believed superstitiously that if a virgin's cane got broken before she reaches the King's palace, then, that particular girl lied about her virginity and shall be removed from the ceremony outright. After the canes are handed to the King, the girls then dance to show their success in the festival. They dance in front of the King and many dignitaries; some include government officials, foreign diplomats, special invited guests and many tourists.


During the celebration, female dancers participated in the ceremonial while holding reeds in the air. The celebration, which featured speeches, dancing, and singing, is hosted by the Zulu royal family.

The King then gives his blessing to the girls, congratulating them for keeping their virginity and some token of rewards are presented to the girls to encourage up and coming young girls to also keep their virginity till marriage....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GCB Extends Working Hours

Image
The management of GCB has extended its working hours from their normal schedule to facilitate easy and efficient services for its cherished customers.  This directive takes effect from Monday 4th January, 2021 from the normal work hours of 9:00am to 4:00pm to 8:30am to 4pm. 
Read more

Prostate cancer and what men need to know.

Image
Prostate cancer is a worrying condition for men and can be life-threatening if left untreated. The rise of prostate cancer these days is overwhelming and men need to be aware of the risk factors, causes, and symptoms. Here is everything you must know: Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that affects the prostate, a small gland in the male reproductive system. The prostate gland is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Its function is to produce the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. It is the most common type of cancer in men. Many prostate cancers grow slowly and are confined to the prostate gland, where they may not cause serious harm. However, while some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or even no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, but many factors may increase the risk of developing the disease. These include: •Age: Prostate cancer is most common i
Read more

Fomena MP joins NPP Caucus in Parliament

Image
The Independent Member of Parliament for Fomena who is also the 2nd Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, has officially communicated to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin notifying him of his decision to reunite himself with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) caucus in Parliament. This brings to bear that the NPP is most likely to constitute the Majority in Parliament pending results of the series of court actions the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has initiated against some Parliamentary seats which were won by the NPP in the December 7, 2020, general elections. The Fomena Lawmaker’s letter to the Speaker dated 13th January 2021, is posted for your perusal. 
Read more