| 24 July 2015
Umhlanga, The Reed Dance – A cultural festival of true Swazi tradition
Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by Mozambique and South Africa. Small as it may be, Swaziland offers visitors exciting attractions and traditional cultural experiences. Filled with many African traditions, the Kingdom of Swaziland is known for its majestic wilderness reserves and colourful festivals, one of these festivals being the traditional ‘Reed Dance’.
The famous Umhlanga, or Reed Dance as it is more commonly known, is Swaziland’s best known annual cultural event and lasts eight days. Up to 40,000 girls take part in the dance, dressed in brightly coloured attire, making it one of the biggest and most spectacular cultural events in Africa. Taking place over a week, young girls journey from all corners of the Kingdom to cut reeds and present them to the Queen Mother or Indlovukazi, presumably to repair the windbreak around her royal residence. Once this task has been completed, the girls then dance in celebration.
The final two days of the event are open to the public and the real celebrations kick off on day six, when dancing gets underway in the afternoon. Each group of girls drop their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters and then move on to the main arena, where they dance and sing their songs. The dancing continues on day seven and the king is present whereby each group dances before him in turn.
Cultural historians marvel at how the dance’s ever-increasing popularity in Swaziland defies the apparent decline of traditional culture elsewhere and offers the visitor a unique experience.
The event takes place around the last week of August or the first week of September. The dates for the event are released relatively close to the time as they derive from ancestral astrology.
Swaziland is rich in culture and its traditions where the monarchy and people of Swaziland actively maintain their remarkable cultural heritage, allowing visitors to get a better idea of traditional African culture.
For more information on Swaziland and all it has to offer, contact The Swaziland Tourism Authority
Tel: 011 702 9602
Website: www.thekingdomofswaziland.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MySwazilandSA
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ILoveSwaziland |
