BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE- Eswatini’s most important cultural event, Incwala, has been ranked as a top event one must attend and look out for.
This is according to a Philadelphia Media Outlet Report that was published last month, the report ranked Incwala number 17 in top 20 events to look out for in events calendar.
“A world famous cultural event that takes place annually bursts with colourful costumes, this is the event to look out for and take pride in. Incwala also takes place in the same country as Luju Festival and MTN Bushfire.” Read the report in part.
It would seem the report is accurate as this publication reported last week that over 70 000 people were in attendance during the march to cut Lusekwane shrub as part of the Incwala Ceremony.
Worth noting is that this ceremony that has lasted for hundreds of years, it is one of the last remaining examples of what was previously common practice in many African countries. It has a spiritual power that is largely lost on outsiders, and indeed many of its inner workings remain shrouded in secrecy.
Although often translated as ‘first fruits festival’, the tasting of the first of the season’s bounty is only one part of this long rite. Essentially this is about cleansing and renewal, and above all celebrating kingship.
When speaking and addressing the report Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati said although not a tourism event per se, visitors with an interest in Eswatini culture are always welcomed. He further said respect for total privacy is required on certain special days when the nation gathers for its own focus, without outside interference.
“Every liSwati may take part in the public parts of the Incwala. Spectators are permitted but not actively encouraged and you may not take photographs except by special permit. The best day to attend is Day four of the Big Incwala, when the feasting and dancing reach a climax, and you will see thousands of people including warriors in full battle regalia.” He said.
He further said Incwala played a major role in the country’s economy through the people who fly in to witness Incwala.
Meanwhile the event takes place around the last week of December or the first week of January. The dates for the event are released relatively close to the time as they derive from ancestral astrology.
Below is the full sequence of the Big Incwala:
Day 1
Dispersing of regiments (Tingaja). Unmarried male youths set off from Engabezweni Royal residence and march 50km to cut branches of the sacred shrub (lusekwane) under the light of the full moon, accompanied by Emabutfo.
Day 2
Dropping the Lusekwane: the boys place their lusekwane branches in the national cattle byre. The elders weave these branches in between poles of the ‘inhlambelo’, the King’s private sanctuary.
Day 3
Morning: Young boys cut branches of the black ‘Imbondvo’ (red bush willow/combretum apiculatum) and these are added to the ‘Inhlambelo’.
Afternoon: A bull charges out, the Lusekwane boys catch and overpower the beast and return it to the sanctuary.
Day 4 (taking place tomorrow)
Main Day: All the key players perform in a spectacular pageant inside the cattle byre; the King and the regiments appear in full war-dress and dance to a number of songs. Then he emerges to throw the sacred gourd (Luselwa), which is caught on a black shield by one of the Lusekwane boys.
Day 5
Day of Abstinence: The King sits in seclusion in the ‘great hut’. The ‘bemanti’ roam the royal capital in daylight hours, enforcing the rules of this day. No sexual contact, bathing, wearing decorations, sitting on chairs/mats, shaking hands, scratching, singing and dancing.
Day 6
Day of the Log: The regiments march to a forest and return with firewood. The elders prepare a great fire in the centre of the cattle byre. On it, certain objects are burnt, signifying the end of the old year, while the key players dance and sing inside the cattle byre. The king remains in seclusion until the next full moon, when the ‘Lusekwane’ branches are removed and burnt.
