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TRADITIONAL CEREMONIES AND DANCING

Traditional ceremonies are an integral part of Swazi life, despite the advent of modernisation. The most important of these is the sacred Incwala or "Festival of the First Fruits'. this is essentially a Kingship ceremony held to renew the strength of the King and the Swazi Nation for the coming year.

Incwala dress cord

Incwala is held in late December/early January of each year and, at a time of the new moon preceding the event, traditionalists visit the main rivers of Swaziland and return to the Nations ancestral home, on the shores of the Indian Ocean near Maputo, to gather sea water. At this time the King goes into seclusion.

When the water gatherers return, and at the time of the full moon, the young men of the Nation congregate at the King's residence. He orders them to march to Egundvwini that first afternoon of Ncwala, a distance of 40 kilometres, to gather branches of the lusekwane tree. They arrive, by mid-night, with the branches.

As the youths rest, the elders use the branches to construct a sacred bower for the King alongside the Royal cattle Byre. The warriors of the nation assemble, dressed in special Ncwala costumes made of of ox hide and leopard skin. Ritual songs, which may not be recorded and which are taboo at other times of the year, are sung. A black bull is driven into the King's bower and this animal is used for the mystic and sacred purposes of the ceremony.

The King joins the warriors in dance on the fourth day and the Queen Mother and official guests attend. Only after the King has eaten part of a pumpkin may the Swazi consume newly-grown crops. No work is done on the fifth day which is set aside for rest and meditation.

On the sixth day, firewood is collected for a massive bonfire on which articles are burned representing the year just past. To signify the start of a new year, the ancestral spirits are entreated to quench the bonfire with rain. The Ncwala ends with singing, dancing and feasting.

A Regiment

Photography and sound recording of sacred parts of the ceremony is strictly prohibited. Visitors wishing to photograph at the Incwala must apply in writing to the Government Information Service, Bradcasting House, P.O.BOX 338, Mbabane.

Another major ceremony is Umhlanga or the Reed Dance which is held during a week at the end of August or early September. Swazi maidens, of marriageable age, gather at the Queen Mother's residence and set out in parties to gather reeds. The reeds are used to repair the windbreak around the Queen Mother's residence.

The girls return by the fourth evening and spend the fifth day preparing their elaborate costumes for dancing. The singing and rhythmic dancing takes place on the afternoon of the sixth and seventh days at the Royal Village. Photography is permitted at the Umhlanga, provided a permit is first obtained from the Government Information Office.

There are other traditional ceremonies. At some of these events it is possible to witness lesser-known dances. However, the Sibhaca, imported together with the drum, from other Nations, is most popular amongst visitors for it's stirring rhythms, dramatic movements and exciting colour.
SIBHACA DANCE AT MANTENGA CULTURAL VILLAGE
DANCING TIMES:1115hrs & 1515hrs daily

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