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For her final reed dance, KwaZulu-Natal maiden Palesa Zwane, 22, will not be surrounded by hundreds of young companions to participate in an ancient Zulu cultural rite of passage.
Instead of carrying a cane, she will be carrying a poster calling for an end to gender-based violence (GBV) that will feature the Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini, at the annual Umkhosi Womhlanga on Saturday.
“I am happy because I was complaining that I will not be able to go, and after so many people I was chosen,” Zwane said.
She is one of 30 maidens selected to make the 3 km walk to Enyokeni Palace in Nongoma to present posters instead of reeds to the king at this year’s annual cultural gathering.
Every spring thousands of maidens descend on the palace, where virginity tests … virginity test, an ancient Zulu tradition is carried out, considered an important rite of passage to femininity.
Before embarking on the annual journey to Nongoma, the maidens are examined by elderly women days before the pilgrimage to Enyokeni, or to the Eludzidzini residence of the Queen Mother of Swaziland. Those who pass the test take pride in their status and are praised by their community as virgins thing‚Pure maidens.
This ancient Zulu practice was largely neglected by previous Zulu kings, but was revived by Zwelithini in 1984.
The maidens who will attend this year’s reed dance, which has been adjusted for the Covid-19 pandemic, were selected because they are in the process of getting married, and this year will be their last year.
Zwane has been attending the reed dance for the past eight years and said last year’s event was his favorite.
