Finding strength in culture
Three young Zulu maidens from Groutville are proud to be virgins going to the annual reed dance this weekend.
Nqobile Mhlongo (18), Nozipho Mhlongo (16) and Nonhlanhla Luthuli (17) were amongst hundreds of girls from Ilembe who took part in the ‘Siyaya Emhlangeni’ (‘we are going to the reed dance’) ceremony in Thembeni on Saturday.
Nqobile will be attending her fourth reed dance and said she is still as excited as she was for her first.
“We are going to sing and dance and meet other girls from around KZN. It is a chance for us to get exposed to our beautiful Zulu culture as young women. I know many people think the reed dance is outdated and old-fashioned but it is so special to us,” she said.
Nonhlanhla said she is looking forward to getting advice from the older Zulu women.
“They teach us how to behave and respect our culture and how to look after ourselves. We come away with knowledge we greatly appreciate.
“We find strength in our culture.”
The reed dance takes place in Nongoma at the Enkonyeni Palace and will see up to 50 000 maidens from KZN, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Swaziland carrying a reed from the Nongoma River to the palace to present to King Goodwill Zwelithini.
Zulu mythology has it that if a young woman who is not a virgin takes part in the dance ceremony, her reed will break and embarrass her in full public view.
Thembeni resident Adelaide Mgabhi who attended the send off said it made her proud to see so many girls protecting their virginity.
“This is how I was brought up. In our days there was no sickness and crime because we respected our culture. This is what I want for these girls.”
Her Royal Highness Queen MaDlamini Zulu of Khethomthandayo addressed the maidens, saying a similar ceremony should be held for young men.
“Boys should be taught from an early age that it is not okay to sleep with girls and impregnate them just for the fun of it,” she said.
The queen told maidens what traditional dress would be expected at the dance and how to handle the reed.
“The reed is very fragile and needs to be handled with care. It represents our young women. They are young and innocent and should be taught how to behave, to be proud of their bodies, to believe in themselves and to hold on to their virginity until they are ready.”
