Have you heard about the Reed Dance in South Africa? Lots of South African men always look forward to this festival, you know why? This is because naked girls dance on the streets for their King.
It is held usually in late August or early September. Well, it just so happens that the Swazis are not the only ones who have such an exotic festival involving the celebration of chastity among young maidens.
While Umhlanga dates back to the 1940s during the reign of King Sobhuza II as an adaptation of an ancient custom called Umcwasho, the Zulu Reed Dance referred to as uMkhosi Womhlanga had its own rebirth in 1991 when it was reintroduced by the King of the Zulus, Godwin Zwelithini
Girls from Zululand and small groups from Swazi land participate in this ceremony. It is an annual event that is held in September.
This is an annual ceremony in which young maidens take reeds and deposit in Enyokeni Palace where the ruler lives. The princess
leads the maidens in the procession because she plays a prominent role throughout the festival. Mkhosi Womhlanga attracts lots of participants from KwaZulu-Natal as well as neighboring Swaziland and Botswana.
These girls dress in traditional attires of intricate beadwork and short skirts known as izigege and izinculuba which show their buttocks and breast.
No fabric is worn on the torso leaving the girls topless. Other items of costume include anklets, bracelets, necklaces, and colorful sashes. The colors at the tail of the sash denote if a girl is betrothed or not.
Once a maiden breaks her reed, she is considered to be s$xually active. These girls are said to undergo a virginity test before they participate.
After they have all dropped their reeds, the ma
idens dance half-naked for the king. This tradition is said to have started in the 40s and required young virgins to dance for the royal king for an opportunity to be chosen as a young bride although there is no confirmation of this information.
In the days before the arrival at the royal palace, the girls are gathered where they are taught about the culture and the art of home-making and being a woman, by older Zulu women.
They are encouraged on the importance of keeping their virginity, while current social issues such as teena
ge pregnancies and HIV are discussed.
After a while, the tradition stopped and was reintroduced in 1991 by Goodwill Zwelithini the traditional ruler. He used it as a measure to encourage high moral standards, abstinence from s*xual activity until marriage, and a measure to check the spread of HIV.
Strict laws are usually
enfor
ced especially regarding photography to discourage people from using them for pornography purposes
