Zulu Reed Dance 2019 Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace

Zulu Reed Dance 2019 Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace

Zulu Reed Dance 2019 Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace – The King will announce the definitive 2019 dates for the Zulu Cultural Festival a few months prior to the ceremony. It will take place at His Royal Majesty King Goodwill Zwelwethini’s eNyokeni Palace and kraal in Nongoma.

• The celebration occurs annually in early September.
• As soon as the dates are finalised it will be updated on this post.

Zulu Reed Dance 2019 Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace – Background

The vibrant, colourful and respected ceremony is a century old annual Zulu tradition. The ceremony was reintroduced by King Goodwill Zwelethini in 1991 to hopefully encourage young Zulu girls and women to delay sexual activity until marriage. A comparative ceremony for young men is called the Umkhosi Woselwa (previously known as Umkhosi Wokweshwama Woselwa) which is an annual lunar First Fruits ceremony held over the last full moon of the year. Umkhosi Wokweshwama (Woselwa) was banned by the British after the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879.

Zulu Reed Dance 2019 Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace – What to Expect

• Tens of thousands of virgin Zulu girls and women travel to Nongoma in Zululand every year. In 2007 about 30,000 girls participated in the dance. During the celebrations the Zulu maidens dance for their King clad in cultural attire.
• They are bare-breasted and wear beaded isigege and izinculuba (short skirt) that show their bottoms. They also wear bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and bright colorful sashes.
• During the dance, led by a chief’s daughter or the Zulu princess, each girl carries a long and strong personally chosen reed which is placed on the ground at the approach of the King.