Umhlanga Reed Dance Ceremony – 29 August – 4 September 2024 – Ludzidzini, Eswatini

One of Africa’s most significant cultural events is about to take place in the Kingdom of Eswatini, the southern African country formerly known as Swaziland. The week-long Umhlanga Reed Dance Ceremony is not only an important celebration of Swazi culture; it is also a colorful spectacle that offers visitors the chance to experience something relatively few ever get to see.

The Umhlanga Reed Dance Ceremony is an ancient tradition in Swaziland in which around 40,000 young unmarried girls go out into the countryside to chop tall reeds, which they then bring to the Queen Mother’s residence, where the reeds are used to repair the windbreaks around her royal residence. Accompanied by male “warriors”, the girls cut their reeds in privacy; this part of the ceremony is not open to the public. On the last two days of the celebration, the ceremony is open to the public. First, the girls present their reeds to the Queen Mother, and then there is the astonishing sight of 40,000 girls, their attendants and even children dancing and parading before an audience that includes His Majesty King Mswati III and dignitaries from neighbouring countries. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the King as he makes his way to his seat at the Royal Stadium in Ludzidzini, where the Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony takes place, after his motorcade brings him to the event.

Shortly after the King and other dignitaries are seated, the dancing begins. The maidens parade past His Majesty in wave after wave, doing their best to impress the King with their dancing and singing, singing as they move, bare-breasted but dressed in traditional Swazi dress from the waist down. In some groups there is a member who stops the drum beat or blows a whistle, and usually many maidens wave wooden “pangas” representing the real machetes used for cutting reeds. The whole process takes about two hours and is fascinating the whole time, and especially cute when a troupe of youngsters parades past. The ceremony begins at about 4:00 p.m., but goes dark during the ceremony and the last few groups dancing for the King and the crowd wear some sort of festive lighting device, a modernization of the ceremony that always delights the crowd who have just witnessed an amazing performance by tens of thousands of maidens, their attendants and many children. Yes, you can see Africa’s famous Big 5 wildlife while visiting Eswatini and it is an unforgettable experience. But nothing compares to the Umhlanga Reed Dance Ceremony! To plan your trip to Eswatini during the Umhlanga Reed Dance Ceremony or any other time of the year, click here.