Umhlanga - The Reed Dance Festival of Eswatini, Last Week of August

 

Brightly arrayed Umhlanga participants.  Public domain photo from www.snappygoat.com.

Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, is an annual festival in Eswatini, Africa (formerly Swaziland).  Celebrated every year during the last week of August, Umhlanga is a secular but traditional coming of age ceremony for unwed girls and women.  During this festival, girls and women from around the country bring reeds to the Queen Mother’s kraal (village of huts) and perform dances, after which they made repairs to the village.  The ndlovukazi’s (the queen mother’s) royal village is in Ludzidzini, nearly the former royal capital of Lobamba.  After ritual hiking long distances and bundling the reeds during the first four days, the girls and women take a break on day five.  The 6^th and 7^th day are devoted to singing, dancing, and pageantry.  On day eight, the king orders that cattle be slaughtered and the meat is giving to the female participants.

                Eswatini’s people are predominately Swazi (over 80%), with the rest being Zulu, Tsonga, and others.  The official languages are siSwati and English.  Forty percent of the people practice traditional religious beliefs or a syncretistic form of Christianity, while the remaining population is predominately Protestant and Catholic.  Swaziland became fully independent from British colonialism in 1968.  Even before then however, King Sobhuza II dismantled the constitution in 1921 and restored tinkhundla, the traditional system of local government.  Under his reign, despite having a cabinet system, most power was placed upon the king, who treasured traditional beliefs and practices.  His son and successor King Mswati III changed the country’s name from Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018.

Singing at Umhlanga.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hVTAiGwJQCI&feature=emb_logo

A news report and interviews during Umhlanga.  https://youtu.be/O2a1FV_CeIMm

Umhlanga participants with their supervisor in front. Public domain photo from 

www.snappygoat.com.

A very young Umhlanga dancer.   Public domain photo from 

www.snappygoat.com.

A smiling Umhlanga young woman carrying her reeds. Public domain photo from 

www.snappygoat.com.

A group of Eswatini female villagers. Public domain photo from 

www.snappygoat.com.

The national flag of Eswatini.  Public domain photo from 

www.snappygoat.com.

A beautifully carved, 19th century wooden vessel made by the North Nguni peoples from either South Africa or Eswatini.  Public domain photo from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

REFERENCES:

“Eswatini.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Eswatini/Cultural-life#ref480824

MacDonald, Margaret Read, Editor.  The Folklore of World Holidays, First Edition.  Gale Research Inc., 1992.

“Umhlanga Reed Dance.”  The Kingdom of Eswatini. https://www.thekingdomofeswatini.com/eswatini-experiences/events/umhlanga-reed-dance/