Swaziland - Festival of the Fruits
The new year comes a little early in Swaziland, along
with one of the biggest and most intricate African
festivals of the year. Incwala, or "Festival of the
First Fruits," brings the country together to gain the
blessing of ancestors, sanctify the kingship, and kick
off the harvest season with a party.
The two main celebrations are Little Incwala and Big
Incwala. Dates are firmed up by tribal astronomers
just weeks before.
The festival begins at "no moon," when people of the
Bimanti clans or water people, trek to the Indian
Ocean off Mozambique to collect the foam of the
waves, which is believed to have mystical powers.
They then return to the king's royal cattle kraal or
palace, and at dawn of the new moon, the king
chews sacred foods prepared with the foam and spits
them to the east and west. Then Little Incwala
begins.
For two days, the people wear traditional outfits and
chant sacred songs while the king remains in his
kraal.
Big Incwala begins at the full moon. It reflects the
maturity of the king the more mature he gets, the
wilder the party. The first day, young men walk over
25 miles to gather branches of the sacred Lusekwane
bush by the light of the full moon. If any of the men
ever made love to a married woman or made a young
maiden pregnant, the branches will tell all. It is
believed that leaves that touch his unpure hands will
wither, and the "pure" people will beat him.
Back at the king's kraal, locals sing and drink
traditional beer.
On the third day of Big Incwala, young men slaughter
an ox and warriors perform the "inczuala" dance
around the enclosure where the king hides, begging
him to emerge. Eventually the king returns to his
people in full Incwala dress. He performs a sacred
dance, then eats the first pumpkin of the harvest.
When he tosses the rind, the crowd performs a
sacred song and dance, and then it's okay to eat the
first fruits with the blessings of Swazi ancestors.
After a day of rest and meditation, the celebrants
build a huge bonfire to burn articles representing the
past year, including the king's bedding and other
household items. The Swazi people pray to their
ancestors to bring rain to put out the fire, and then
the big celebration of the new year starts, with
feasts, singing, and dancing.
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