Celebrate Mwaka Kogwa

Mwaka Kogwa is a Tanzanian festival that celebrate the arrival of Nairuz, marked as the beginning of New Year according to Persian calendar. This festival is held all across the Zanzibar island in late July. However, the largest celebration take place in Makunduchi village, located in Zanzibar's southeast coast. On this four-day festival, many tourists come to the island to witness several traditional activities with local people.

Mock fights is a long-lived tradition of Mwaka Kogwa where a man beat another with banana sticks. It is seen as a ritual purification to put a stop to all animosities as the New Year is welcomed in. The well dressed women of the village go around the village and the fields singing songs about family, love, and joy during the fight. As the battle come to its end, a local shaman would set fire to a small nearby hut, then run outside, and hide himself in a nearby bush. People will then try to put out the fire. This means that if someone's house burns down throughout the year, everyone will survive. After that, everyone will gather and eat a big feast, praying for happiness and prosperity.

Joining Mwaka Kogwa is a must-do activity if you want to explore Tanzanian culture. The bustling and joyful atmosphere of this unique traditional festival will lighten your mood.