Umhlanga Day in Swaziland
Umhlanga Day in Swaziland is held on August 23. This event in the third decade of the month August is annual. Help us
The two main cultural events are the Incwala in December and the Umhlanga in August. The Incwala is sometimes described as a first-fruits ceremony, but, spread over six days, it is a much more complex ritual of renewing and strengthening the kingship and the nation, with songs and dances used only on this occasion. The Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, brings together the unmarried girls and young women of the country to cut reeds for the annual repairs to the windbreaks of the queen mother’s village; it lasts for five days. It is also symbolic of the unity of the nation and of its perpetuation through the massed ranks of young women. Both ceremonies are held at the national capital of the queen mother.
Similar holidays and events, festivals and interesting facts
International Strange Music Day on August 24 (The celebration was conceived by Patrick Grant, a musician from New York City. The goal of the festival is simple: to encourage people to play and listen to music that we may not yet appreciate enough);
National La Morenada Dance Day in Bolivia on September 7 (Día Nacional de la Danza La Morenada);
Turkmen Bakhshi Day on September 8 (celebrated on the second Sunday in September on Turkmenistan)