Durban - The Zulu royal family expects this month’s Reed Dance Festival to be well attended, as all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted.
The royal family explained yesterday that two Reed Dance festivals would be held, with thousands of Zulu maidens expected to attend.
The first festival will take place this weekend at Emachobeni Palace in Ingwavuma.
“What is significant is that the two festivals at Emachobeni and Enyokeni Palaces will be hosted without the Covid-19 restrictions that limited the number of people that could attend and that is why we expect a massive turn-out,” family spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu said yesterday.
He added that they would hold the festivals in the same way they had done over the past years, with the Emachobeni gathering being held first and Enyokeni being held towards the end of the month.
The prince expressed confidence in the success of the events because of provincial government support through the Department of Arts and Culture.
“As you may be well aware, the department is playing a role in this year’s festival in the same way it has been over the past years,” the prince said.
The department confirmed that the Reed Dance would take place this weekend, describing it as a celebration of the Zulu nation.
According to the department, this year about 3 000 maidens are expected to hand reeds over to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini at Emachobeni Palace, and in Enyokeni Palace two weeks later.
“Umkhosi Womhlanga (Reed Dance Festival) is one of the cultural ceremonies hosted by the Zulu royalty. It is focused on celebrating purity of maidens and highlights the values that come with prolonging their virginity. It dates back to the times before King Shaka and was revived by King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. According to Zulu tradition, only virgins are permitted to take part in the festival,” said the department’s Nomonde Maboe.
She said that the reed reflects a deep mythical connection with the origin of the Zulu people where, tradition says, the original ancestor emerged from the reed beds.
“In modern years it is used as a vehicle for promoting moral regeneration and behavioural change, social cohesion and instilling national identity and nation building. The programme also responds to social changes in that an educational session has been included to provide career guidance, and to address issues such as HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancy, feminine hygiene, healthy lifestyle and human trafficking,” said Maboe.
Over the years, the festival has also resulted in boosting rural economic activity and is seen by the government as one of the events that can inject revenue into the local economy in northern KwaZulu-Natal.