ESWATINI: 2018 Umhlanga Reed Dance Start 28th Of August

The dates the biggest cultural event in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) have been announced and a hive of colourful activity will soon descend upon the country in the form of the festival known as ‘Umhlanga’ or Reed Dance.

The Festival is set to start on the 28th of August, with the main day (Day 7) set to take place on Monday 3rd September.

It will be on this day when the main ceremony occurs, with the dancing attended by the King signalling a public holiday in Eswatini.

This ceremony is an amazing spectacle and a centuries-old tradition where the Kingdom’s unmarried and childless females present their newly cut reed to the Queen Mother to protect her residence.

The King sometimes makes use of the occasion to publicly court a prospective fiancée or Liphovela.

When the main day arrives, young women from all over Eswatini and beyond her borders converge on the royal residence in Ludzidzini for this momentous occasion.

Maidens gather in groups and head out along riverbanks to cut and collect tall reeds, bind them and return to Ludzidzini, the Royal Homestead in Lobamba.

Tens of thousands of maidens, led by Swazi princesses, provide a sea of colour as they dance and sing, proudly carrying their cut reeds. Traditionally, virginity is a pre-requisite for participation as it is considered taboo for an ‘impure’ woman to cut the reed.

Residents of this tiny mountainous Kingdom are intensely proud of their deep culture and taking part in the Festival is a proud and privileged moment for all the family.

The highlight of the event is the reed-giving ceremony – one of Africa’s largest and most colourful cultural spectacles.

The maidens gather at Ludzidzini dressed in traditional attire; bright short beaded skirts with colourful sashes revealing their bare breasts to dance and sing and celebrate the unification of the Kingdom’s women.

His Majesty King Mswati lll joins the celebrations to pay tribute to the maidens.

At the end of the day, the maidens present their cut reeds to the Queen Mother, Ndlovukazi, and the protective Guma (reed fence) around her homestead will be rebuilt.

The Umhlanga Festival is a visual spectacle that bonds this small but perfectly formed nation. Its ever- increasing popularity defies the apparent decline of traditional cultures elsewhere in Africa.

Witnessing this festival is a truly unique experience. Visitors are welcome, but are vastly outnumbered by the participants! This is a traditional event that allows spectators, not one that exists for spectators.

See it for yourself and experience Eswatini’s unique blend of ancient culture, pristine wilderness, year round wildlife and spirit of adventure!

Umhlanga Reed Dance

This is Eswatini’s best known cultural event, and has a more open feel than the Incwala. In this eight-day ceremony, young girls cut reeds, present them to the Queen Mother (Indlovukazi) – ostensibly to repair the windbreak around her royal residence – and then dance in celebration.

Up to 40,000 girls take part, dressed up in brightly coloured attired – making it one of the biggest and most spectacular cultural events in Africa.

The proper festivities kick off on day six, when dancing gets under way in the afternoon.

Each group drops their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters then moves to the main arena, where they dance and sing their songs. The dancing continues on day seven, when the king is present. This is the main day that most visitors attend. Each regiment dances before him in turn.

Little can prepare you for the sheer scale of the pageantry, with column upon column of girls advancing like vast ululating centipedes across the parade grounds of Ludzidzini, each dissolving in turn into the pulsating mass of bodies around the royal kraal.

Up close, it’s an almost overwhelming immersion in noise and colour, as the girls stamp, sing and sway in step, anklets rattling, naked flesh and dazzling costume blurring into a living, chanting kaleidoscope.

The warrior escorts, adorned with cow tails and clutching knob-stick and shield, are sternly intent on their duties and seem contemptuous of tourists, but the girls are all smiles.

It’s Eswatini’s biggest holiday and, after days of tramping the hillsides, cutting reeds and camping out, they’re determined to party.

Today the Umhlanga is as well attended as ever. Indeed cultural historians marvel at how its ever-increasing popularity in Eswatini defies the apparent decline of traditional culture elsewhere.

It offers the visitor a unique experience. There are no special visitor arrangements – except for a special grandstand to accommodate visiting dignitaries – but simply turn up at Ludzidizini and follow the crowds (Day 7 is the main day).

Police will direct you where to go, and where to park.

The event takes place around the last week of August / first week of September in the Lobamba area, next to the Ezulwini Valley. The dates for the event are released relatively close to the time as they derive from ancestral astrology.

The dates for the 2018 Reed Dance have now been officially announced. The main day is always a Monday, which becomes a public holiday. This year, main day will fall on Monday 3rd September.

Tourists visiting the annual Reed Dance are allowed to take photographs on Days 6 and 7 (main day) – as the maidens walk to deliver the reeds to the Royal Residence, and then as they dance in the main arena.

Photography at other times is restricted to accredited members of the media, who can check the Media Accreditation section on this page for further information.

Reed Dance Schedule

Day One

- The girls gather at the Queen Mother’s royal village. Today this is at Ludzidzini, in Sobhuza’s time it was at Lobamba.

- They come in groups from the 200 or so chiefdoms and are registered for security.

- Men, usually four, supervise them, appointed chiefs. They sleep in the huts of relatives in the village or in classrooms of nearby schools.

- This is a very exciting time for the maidens.

Day Two

- The girls are separated into two groups, the older (about 14 to 22 years) and the younger (about 8 to 13 years).

- In the afternoon, they march to the reed-beds with their supervisors. The older girls often march about 30 kilometers, while the younger girls march about ten kilometers.

- If the older girls are sent further, government will provide trucks for their transport.

Day Three

- The girls cut their reeds, usually about ten to twenty, using long knives.

- Each girl ties her reeds into a bundle.

- Nowadays they use strips of plastic for the tying, but those mindful of tradition will still cut grass and plaint it into rope.

Day Four

- In the afternoon, the girls set off to return to the Queen Mother’s village, carrying their bundles of reeds. Again they return at night. This is done to show they traveled a long way.

Day Five

- A day of rest where the girls make final preparations to their hair and dancing costumes.

- After all that walking, who doesn’t deserve a little pampering?

Day Six

- First day of dancing, from about three to five in the afternoon.

- The girls drop their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters.

- They move to the arena and dance, keeping their groups and each group singing different songs at the same time.

Day Seven

- Second and last day of dancing. His Majesty the King will be present.

Day Eight

- King commands that a number of cattle perhaps 20 -25 be slaughtered for the girls.

- They receive pieces of meat and go home.


Tourism Observer

SWAZILAND: Good Reasons To Visit Swaziland

2018 is an exciting year for Swaziland, dubbed 'Africa in a nutshell' as it celebrates its 50th year since independence and King Mswati III's 50th birthday.

The '50/50' celebrations in April will be the undoubted highlight of the year but the country's stunning scenery; fascinating cultural experiences, thrilling safaris and exciting adventure activities are available all year round.

As 2018 is such a significant year for this charming Kingdom, over the coming months we’re going to deliver 50 reasons why Swaziland should be at the very top of your travel bucket list.

The month of April in particular brings a number of reasons to visit into sharp focus, so we’re starting with 5 reasons to go right now.

1. Swaziland celebrates its 50/50 in April – 50 years since Independence and 50th birthday of King Mswati III.

In true Swazi style, the celebrations on 19 April will be spectacular, attended by numerous neighbouring African heads of state, but also open to visitors.

2. The new Hilton Hotel opens in Mbabane in April. A newly-built luxury hotel and the first big international chain hotel ever in Swaziland, this is a very significant step in Swaziland’s tourism development

3. Although April is classed as a tourist low season, the weather is perfect with temperatures between 16-25C - ideal for exploring.

4. A number of tour operators launched new Swaziland trips at the start of the year that are now up and running, including a 5-day Overnight Trail on horse back with In the Saddle.

5. It’s Marula Season. Between February and mid-May Swaziland celebrates the harvest of the Marula fruit. Lots of festivities and lots of Marula beer being brewed.

Attractions

It is Swaziland’s variety of attractions in its small area that is its greatest asset.

It is the mixture of beautiful landscapes, fascinating wildlife, and rich culture that combine to make this small country such a wonderful place to visit.

Culture/People

A tiny country with a big heart and warm, friendly people aptly describes Swaziland – a country that is one of the few remaining Executive Monarchies in Africa and embraces and upholds its own unique and ancient traditions.

Both the monarchy and the people of Swaziland actively maintain and preserve a remarkable cultural heritage that is probably unmatched anywhere in Africa.

Visitors can get a better idea of traditional African culture here than pretty much anywhere else in the region.

What is seen, including spectacular festivals and energetic dances, has not simply been resuscitated for the tourist dollar but is the real deal.

The famous Umhlanga or Reed Dance and Incwala are traditional ceremonies that involve tens of thousand of Swazis, and attract visitors from all over the world.

But traditional attire, ceremonies and dancing are to be found throughout the country at all times of the year.

Wildlife

Swaziland's rich variety of landscapes and habitats gives it a profusion of fauna and flora, with the sheer number of species being mind-boggling by most European standards.

The country is not large enough to offer lots of big game experiences, but it has some 17 protected areas which are home to a very wide range of species, including the sought after Big 5.

As well as being one of the best places on the continent for rhino safaris on foot as well as by 4x4 and to see both black and white rhinos.

Swaziland is also the perfect place to get to grips with many smaller creatures often overlooked on safari elsewhere, and it is a bird-watcher’s paradise.

Landscape/Scenic

With the exception of desert and sea, every geographical feature of Africa’s terrain is found within Swaziland.

Magnificent mountain scenery with rivers, waterfalls and gorges; unique rock formations which are among the world’s most ancient; lush and fertile valleys, plus typical African bush.

From west to east, Swaziland moves from mountainous Highveld, though Middleveld to Lowveld, and then rises again to the Lubombo mountains.

Altitudes vary from 21 to 1800 m (70 to 6000 ft) – yet the country’s east and west borders are less than 200 km (125 miles) apart.

Arts & Crafts

Swaziland has a remarkably impressive range of traditional arts and crafts with many of its products now found in trendy ethnic boutiques around world.

Throughout the country men and women are at work creating the finest handicrafts that are so popular with visitors.

Creative basket ware in vibrant clours, wood and stone carvings, glassware, exquisite candles, batik items, jewellery – all uniquely Swazi.

In many places that they are on sale, there is also chance to see the craftspeople at work and marvel at their intricate skills.

Many are socially responsible outlets which provide both income and empowerment for their craftspeople from poor rural communities.

Activities

Swaziland’s mountains, valleys, rivers and other natural wonders make it the ideal choice for those seeking adventure, and even high adrenaline experiences.

In addition, the rich culture allows for less adrenaline-fueled activities.

All activities in Swaziland are available year-round, but for some suggestions of what to try when, have a look at our Swaziland Calendar, and don't forget all the Events that go in in Swaziland each year.

Cultural Activities

With Swaziland’s rich culture and strong traditions, this is a wonderful country to partake in some fascinating cultural activities.

The monarchy and the people of Swaziland actively maintain and preserve a remarkable cultural heritage, allowing visitors to get a better idea of traditional African culture here than pretty much anywhere else in the region.

What is seen, including spectacular festivals, has not simply been resuscitated for the tourist dollar but is the real deal.

Events

If there is one thing that Swaziland is known for around the world it is the magnificent traditional festivals that the country hosts- particularly the Umhlanga (Reed Dance) and Incwala ceremonies.

Both are living cultural events that, bar the odd wristwatch and mobile phone, have hardly changed in two hundred years.

Visitors are allowed to watch, but neither ceremony makes any concession to tourism; even the precise dates are not published in advance, being dependent on the vagaries of ancestral astrology.

The main events happen at the royal parade grounds at Ludzidzini but the mood of celebration sweeps the nation.

Visitors to the country around the time of the events will doubtless see wandering bands of warriors or maidens decked out in full regalia as they head to or from the festivities.

The modern event that has gained an international reputation in far fewer years is the Bushfire Festival – a performing arts festival held every May.

Swaziland’s annual calendar is a mix of traditional and modern events

Safaris

The many Game Parks and Nature Reserves across Swaziland protect a vast variety of animals. From the magnificent Big Five to warthogs, antelope and reptiles, Swaziland is home to numerous of Africa’s wild animal species.

The emphasis in Swaziland is to provide visitors with a more intimate wildlife experience in areas of natural beauty, and to allow them a certain amount of freedom to explore on their own terms.

This is no place for mass tourism and convoys of vehicles but instead, walks to learn about the bush and track rare species like black and white rhino.

As well as traditional 4x4 and walking safaris, some of Swaziland’s reserves can also be explored by mountain bike and on horseback.

In a number of the reserves visitors are free to move around independently, without the need for a guide or ranger.

There are even self catering options amongst the accommodation that allow you to be in charge of your own safari lodge in the bush.

There aren’t many places in the world where you can head off for your own bike ride and encounter zebra and bushbuck along the way, or take a stroll to see the giraffe before settling down to your own bush barbeque.

Birdwatching

Some 500 species of bird have been recorded in Swaziland. This puts it roughly on a par with France (517) or, more locally, the Kruger National Park (505), and is a remarkable tally for such a tiny, landlocked country.

This comes from its diversity of habitats, with several very different bird communities occurring side-by-side.

Outdoor Activities

With the massive variety of Swaziland’s natural landscapes, it’s no surprise that there is a wealth of outdoor activities available in this small, beautiful country.

The scenery can be explored on foot, by bike, on horseback and even by quad bike. And there are a even a few rivers and dams/reservoirs allowing for boat trips.

Adventure Activities

Swaziland’s mountains, valleys, rivers and other natural wonders make it the ideal choice for those seeking adrenaline activities.

It has built reputation for a variety of thrilling adventure activities that once again belies its small size. These include Caving, Canopy Tours, Climbing, Abseiling, Tubing and White Water Rafting.

Sports

There is no shortage of ways to keep fit and active in Swaziland. As well as the Outdoor Activities and Adventure Activities covered elsewhere, there are a number of sports on offer, including Fishing, Swimming, Golf, Tennis, Squash.

Gyms, spas, yoga and team building are also covered here. The best places to find most sporting facilities are Swaziland’s various Country and Golf Clubs – legacies of the country’s colonial past.

Water Sports

As a land-locked country, Swaziland has no coastline that would allow for the variety of beach activities and watersports found in neighbouring South Africa and Mozambique.

It does have a number of dams/reservoirs, and some magnificent rivers, that provide the opportunity for a few water-based activities, but these are covered elsewhere.

- Boat Trips can be found under Outdoor Activities

- Swimming and Fishing can be found under Sports

- White Water Rafting can be found under Adventure Activities

Shopping
In today's retail society, shopping is an ever more popular activity. Swaziland has a handful of modern malls, but the country's best shopping experiences come from the traditional handicrafts on offer.

Swaziland has a remarkably impressive range of traditional arts and crafts with many of its products now found in trendy ethnic boutiques around world.

Throughout the country men and women are at work creating and selling the finest handicrafts that are so popular with visitors.


Tourism Observer

SWAZILAND: Umhlanga, The Reed Dance

This is Swaziland’s best known cultural event, and has a more open feel than the Incwala.

In this eight-day ceremony, young girls cut reeds, present them to the Queen Mother (Indlovukazi) – ostensibly to repair the windbreak around her royal residence – and then dance in celebration.

Up to 40,000 girls take part, dressed up in brightly coloured attired - making it one of the biggest and most spectacular cultural events in Africa.

The proper festivities kick off on day six, when dancing gets under way in the afternoon. Each group drops their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters then moves to the main arena, where they dance and sing their songs.

The dancing continues on day seven, when the king is present. Each regiment dances before him in turn.

Little can prepare you for the sheer scale of the pageantry, with column upon column of girls advancing like vast ululating centipedes across the parade grounds of Ludzidzini, each dissolving in turn into the pulsating mass of bodies around the royal kraal.

Up close, it’s an almost overwhelming immersion in noise and colour, as the girls stamp, sing and sway in step, anklets rattling, naked flesh and dazzling costume blurring into a living, chanting kaleidoscope.

The warrior escorts, adorned with cow tails and clutching knob-stick and shield, are sternly intent on their duties and seem contemptuous of tourists, but the girls are all smiles.

It’s Swaziland’s biggest holiday and, after days of tramping the hillsides, cutting reeds and camping out, they’re determined to party.

Today the Umhlanga is as well attended as ever. Indeed cultural historians marvel at how its ever-increasing popularity in Swaziland defies the apparent decline of traditional culture elsewhere.

It offers the visitor a unique experience. There are no special visitor arrangements – except for a special grandstand to accommodate visiting dignitaries – but simply turn up at Ludzidizini and follow the crowds.

Police will direct you where to go, and where to park. Officially, permits are required for photography.

The event takes place around the last week of August / first week of September. The dates for the event are released relatively close to the time as they derive from ancestral astrology.

Though we are waiting for confirmation, we expect the Reed Dance to start on 29th August, with the main day (Day 7) being Monday 4th September. We will confirm this news on our site when the dates have been officially announced.

A number of Swaziland accommodation and travel providers have special offers on at the time of the Reed Dance. See below:

Pigg's Peak Hotel & Casino: Special room rate.

Sibane Hotel: Special room rate and lunch offer.

Myxo's Woza Nawe Cultural Tours: Reed Dance Tour.

Peace Guest Centre Guest House: Special room rates.

All Out Africa: Lobamba Village Walking Tour package.

Tourists visiting the annual Reed Dance are not permitted to take photographs. If you are taking photographs for media organisation then please make contacts.

For the latest news on this year's event, including details of a number of initiatives to assist visitors to the event, please see our latest news items.

You can read a fantastic blog entry all about Swaziland's Reed Dance.

The full schedule is as follows:

Day One

The girls gather at the Queen Mother’s royal village. Today this is at Ludzidzini, in Sobhuza’s time it was at Lobamba. They come in groups from the 200 or so chiefdoms and are registered for security. Men, usually four, supervise them, appointed chiefs. They sleep in the huts of relatives in the village or in classrooms of nearby schools. This is a very exciting time for the maidens.

Day Two

The girls are separated into two groups, the older (about 14 to 22 years) and the younger (about 8 to 13 years). In the afternoon, they march to the reed-beds with their supervisors. The older girls often march about 30 kilometers, while the younger girls march about ten kilometers. If the older girls are sent further, government will provide trucks for their transport.

Day Three

The girls cut their reeds, usually about ten to twenty, using long knives. Each girl ties her reeds into a bundle. Nowadays they use strips of plastic for the tying, but those mindful of tradition will still cut grass and plaint it into rope.

Day Four

In the afternoon, the girls set off to return to the Queen Mother’s village, carrying their bundles of reeds. Again they return at night. This is done “to show they traveled a long way.”

Day Five

A day of rest where the girls make final preparations to their hair and dancing costumes. After all that walking, who doesn’t deserve a little pampering?

Day Six

First day of dancing, from about three to five in the afternoon. The girls drop their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters. They move to the arena and dance, keeping their groups and each group singing different songs at the same time.

Day Seven

Second and last day of dancing. His Majesty the King will be present.

Day Eight

King commands that a number of cattle (perhaps 20 -25) be slaughtered for the girls. They receive pieces of meat and go home.


Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com

SWAZILAND: 2017 Reed Dance Dates Announced

The dates for Swaziland’s biggest cultural event have been announced and a hive of colourful activity will soon descend upon the country in the form of the festival known as ‘Umhlanga’ or Reed Dance.

The Festival is set to start on the 29th of August, with the main day (Day 7) set to take place on Monday 4th September. It will be on this day when the main ceremony occurs, with the dancing attended by the King signaling a public holiday in Swaziland.

This ceremony is an amazing spectacle and a centuries-old tradition where the Kingdom’s unmarried and childless females present their newly cut reed to the Queen Mother to protect her residence.

The King sometimes makes use of the occasion to publicly court a prospective fiancée or Liphovela.

When the main day arrives, young women from all over Swaziland and beyond her borders converge on the royal residence in Ludzidzini for this momentous occasion.

Maidens gather in groups and head out along riverbanks to cut and collect tall reeds, bind them and return to Ludzidzini, the Royal Homestead in Lobamba.

Tens of thousands of maidens, led by Swazi princesses, provide a sea of colour as they dance and sing, proudly carrying their cut reeds.

Traditionally, virginity is a pre-requisite for participation as it is considered taboo for an ‘impure’ woman to cut the reed.

Residents of this tiny mountainous Kingdom are intensely proud of their deep culture and taking part in the Festival is a proud and privileged moment for all the family.

The highlight of the event is the reed-giving ceremony - one of Africa’s largest and most colourful cultural spectacles.

The maidens gather at Ludzidzini dressed in traditional attire; bright short beaded skirts with colourful sashes revealing their bare breasts to dance and sing and celebrate the unification of the Kingdom’s women.

His Majesty King Mswati lll joins the celebrations to pay tribute to the maidens.

At the end of the day, the maidens present their cut reeds to the Queen Mother,Ndlovukazi, and the protective Guma (reed fence) around her homestead will be rebuilt.

The Umhlanga Festival is a visual spectacle that bonds this small but perfectly formed nation.

Its ever- increasing popularity defies the apparent decline of traditional cultures elsewhere in Africa.

Witnessing this festival is a truly unique experience.

Visitors are welcome, but are vastly outnumbered by the participants! This is a traditional event that allows spectators, not one that exists for spectators.

See it for yourself and experience Swaziland’s unique blend of ancient culture, pristine wilderness, year round wildlife and spirit of adventure!


Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com