Likumbi Lya Mize

This is a prominent August celebration and one of the most famous festivals in Zambia (The Day of Mize). The Luvale people of North Western Province commemorate the Likumbi Lya Mize ritual. There are three primary Luvale ceremonies. Every year in August, the Zambezi District of Zambia's Northwestern Province becomes a hive of activity as Luvale speakers from all over the country gather to celebrate the Likumbi Lya Mize traditional ceremony.

'Likumbi Lya Mize' means 'ceremony of the Mize,' and it is the name of the Luvale's headquarters, which is located in Zambezi, North Western Province. The event lasts around a week and involves activities including dancing by makishi (masked male dancers) and females who have completed the wali initiation rite, speeches by the chief and government officials, and drumming.

The Makishi Masquerades are the highlight of the Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony. The Makishi Masquerades are tied to the Mukanda, an initiation process in which boys are recruited and trained for six to a year, during which they experience various rites of passage into manhood. Learning survival skills, hunting, learning about women, how to be a good husband, and fatherhood are all part of this. This represents the transition from childhood to maturity.

The Makishi masquerades and Mukanda were awarded a diploma by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005 for their magnificent cultural presence and artistry, making them a masterpiece of world cultural heritage for posterity, thus safeguarding the two practices.

For almost 60 years, the Likumbi Lya Mize Ceremony has been kept authentic to ensure correct cultural transmission from one generation to the next.

Date: In the month of August every year