No problems at Reed Festival
Maidens presented their reeds to King Goodwill Zwelithini and on Sunday,
THE Zulu Royal Reed Festival or ‘Umkhosi woMhlanga’, which saw young maidens from all over South Africa gathering at Enyokeni Royal Palace outside Nongoma over the weekend, was incident-free.
On Friday and Saturday the maidens presented their reeds to King Zwelithini and on Sunday, His Majesty addressed the audience in the stadium at his palace.
The event is considered one of the important ceremonies within the Zulu culture, especially because it is dedicated to the maidens, who are the flowers of the nation.
Maidens representing the City of uMhlahuze at the eNyokeni Royal Palace KwaNongoma @ZOPublications @ANC_MusaDladlaR pic.twitter.com/GOQXxUtutv
— uMhlathuze (@UmhlathuzeM) September 5, 2015
The grass-like reed grows in wet areas or on river banks and is extremely fragile, which means it has to be handled with extra care since it breaks easily.
The reed is used as a metaphor with reference to the young maidens, who need to be nurtured on how to embrace their culture and look after themselves morally by educating them in matters such as HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancies and taking pride in being virgins.
Before the event, the maidens attend various workshops which prepare and educate them about the correct ways of living and adopting a lifestyle of abstinence from sex and substance abuse.
These workshops are conducted by the ‘omama bezintombi’ or ‘amaqhikiza’ (guardians and mentors).
While the lessons and ceremonies are steeped in Zulu tradition and culture, the mass gathering of young people is also an opportunity to discuss contemporary social issues that affect them.
Final figures are not yet available, but it is estimated that between 40 000 and 50 000 maidens from KZN, Mpumalanga and Gauteng travelled to Nongoma for the ceremony.
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