BY BUSINESS EDITOR
LOBAMBA– Thousands of Emaswati attended this year’s Incwala Ceremony Main day event yesterday.
This included members of the royal family, tourist, regiments and government officials.
The government of Eswatini cited that the event was a major boots to the country’s tourism sector.
The main day comes after the little incwala, The Little Incwala is a build-up to the main Incwala, where emaSwati celebrate the harvest of the first fruit inside the cattle byre of the main royal residence. The members of the regiment of Lutsango, Imbali Ingatja, warriors as well as bokhololo came in numbers, so much that a first time attendee, would have mistaken yesterday for the main Incwala Day. The regiments were recognised by their voices in the rhythm of the songs.
The King will dance at the main royal residence before proceeding to the other royal residences, ahead of commissioning Ingatja to fetch the sacred shrubs, known as lusekwane and the red leaves known as imbondvo, in a few days to come.
Incwala takes place in the Royal Kraal for four days from the new harvest after the full moon nearest the summer solstice. Visitors interested in Eswatini culture are always welcome to attend, but are required to respect tradition – ladies to wear skirts and men are allowed not to wear hats, unless they have traditional head dresses.
The event is a celebration that unites the country, helps gain the blessing of ancestors, sanctifies the kingship, and celebrates the beginning of the harvest season.
A sequence of 3 days culminates on Big Incwala, the major day of the festival, when the feasting and dancing reach a climax, and thousands of people thronging the royal parade grounds. The ceremony ends when the King of Eswatini, Mswati III, in full ceremonial dress, joins his warriors in the traditional dance and enters a special sanctuary and after some traditional rituals, eats the first fruits of the season.
The songs dances and ritual that take place inside the Royal Kraal remain a matter of utmost secrecy and may not be recorded on written down.
The final day of the Incwala Festival signifies the end of the old year and welcomes the year to come. Regiments march to a forest and return with wood, which forms a central fire in the cattle byre. Objects are burnt and dancers celebrate the future to come.
