Umhlanga Reed Dance

Eswatini celebrates the Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, as a national holiday. This is the Kingdom's major cultural celebration. It lasts a week, with the major day, which is a public holiday, being the last day. The festival takes place in the last week of August or the first week of September every year. Because the dates are based on ancestral astrology, they are published quite close to the event. Monday is always the major day. We provide a projected date for future years on our calendar.

The Kingdom's unmarried and childless females converge at the royal home of the Queen Mother in Ludzidzini for this centuries-old event. The ceremony attracts up to 40,000 females dressed in traditional garb, including brilliant short beaded skirts with colorful sashes, making it one of Africa's largest and most stunning festivals. They go out in groups to the riverbanks (some march over 30 kilometers) and chop tall reeds with sharp knives before returning to the Royal Homestead. The young maidens, headed by the Swazi princesses, then present the Queen Mother with the newly cut reeds to defend her palace throughout the ritual. The tradition originated as a yearly job to repair the windbreaks (reed fences) around the royal home using reeds. After returning with the reeds, the ritual is celebrated with dancing and music. This begins on the 6th day's afternoon and continues on the 7th day, the major day when the King arrives and large crowds assemble to participate in the festivities.

Time: the last week of August or the first week of September