A drink for the Rainbow Nation
This alcoholic beverage has some deep roots in South Africa's rich heritage.
Brandy is often associated with the Afrikaans culture, rugby and braaivleis, but the drink also has a deep history in Xhosa, Zulu and Swazi cultures.
As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month, food anthropologist Anna Trapido looked at the spiritual side of brandy, as it is used in many cultural rituals.
Walk into any shebeen and ask for a ‘watch’ and everyone will know that you want Klipdrift Export, which has a picture of a timepiece on the label. Ask for a ‘g-string’ in Soweto and you’ll be served a Klipdrift Premium from a bottle with raffia around it.
While brandy may have different nicknames at your local watering hole, brandy’s role in the spiritual realm is serious and solemn. While most ethnic and linguistic groups confine its use to marriage-related lobola rituals, in Xhosa-speaking communities the proudly South African drink is commonly considered essential for almost all rites of passage.
From welcoming back initiates to celebrating an engagement or simply offering up a small prayer to the ancestors to asking the ancestors for help during a job interview – all brands of brandy can be associated with ritual communication with the ancestors. Brandy intambo – which loosely translates from isiXhosa as the brandy bottle with ropes, such as Richelieu International, is an essential element. While any brandy will do, some if not all, believe that brandy intambo must be present.
When using brandy to communicate with the ancestors a small amount of brandy is poured onto the earth before the remaining liquid is shared respectfully among the assembled community. The small amount that is absorbed into the soil is considered a gift to the ancestors. In isiZulu this is known as ukuphahla – a prayer to the ancestors, while in isiXhosa it is called ukunqula.
According to Trapido this solemn ritual is not about getting drunk, nor for entertainment, rather its a dignified ritual used to invite the ancestors and to open communication with them. This ritual is mostly associated with age-specific life-changing events.
Inkaba birth rituals require brandy to be poured over the site where the baby’s placenta and umbilical cord are buried. And when the initiates get back home, the izibazanas – the mothers of the initiates – will come dancing out of their homes carrying brandy against their breasts to welcome back their sons.
One thing is sure though, it’s not just the ancestors who respect South African brandy, new modern styles of brandy have made it big internationally too. These include the Worldwide Brandy Trophy for Klipdrift Premium at the 2016 World Brandy Awards and a Gold Outstanding award for Van Ryn’s 20-Year-Old at the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. A buyer at this month’s Nederburg Charity Auction paid R60 000 for a once-off 40-year-old Van Ryn’s brandy, testimony to the high regard for the country’s quality potstills.
The News would like to wish readers a happy Heritage Day and also encourage responsible alcohol use during the festivities.
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