Today was by far the highlight of my whole trip! I attended the annual Zulu Reed Dance Festival in Zululand. Thje festival occurs every year in the grounds of the King of Zululand. All of the virgins of the surrounding villages come to the Kings palace and dance for him. Traditionally, this is when the King chooses his new bride, but custom has changed and now it is just a cultural festival and an opportunity for the community to celebrate.
There were SO many women and young girls dancing in traditional garb and beautiful beads. Each woman/girl holds a reed that is indigenous to this area. Some girls come from as far as Botswana to participate in this festival. The speakers stressed the importance of young women maintaining their virginity and being aware of the dangers of the AIDS virus. It was simply amazing!
The trip took us four long hours to travel from Durban city to the heart of Zululand. It was well worth the trip. On the way we hit some road blocks.........pretty funny....this cow was not about to mooooove for anyone!
Today was by far the highlight of my whole trip! I attended the annual Zulu Reed Dance Festival in Zululand. Thje festival occurs every year in the grounds of the King of Zululand. All of the virgins of the surrounding villages come to the Kings palace and dance for him. Traditionally, this is when the King chooses his new bride, but custom has changed and now it is just a cultural festival and an opportunity for the community to celebrate.
There were SO many women and young girls dancing in traditional garb and beautiful beads. Each woman/girl holds a reed that is indigenous to this area. Some girls come from as far as Botswana to participate in this festival. The speakers stressed the importance of young women maintaining their virginity and being aware of the dangers of the AIDS virus. It was simply amazing!
The trip took us four long hours to travel from Durban city to the heart of Zululand. It was well worth the trip. On the way we hit some road blocks.........pretty funny....this cow was not about to mooooove for anyone!
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