Swaziland - 2019

Umhlanga, or Reed Dance ceremony, is an annual Swazi and Zulu event in Eswatini - formerly called Swaziland.
Swazi girl In the eight-day ceremony, young girls cut reeds, present them to the Queen Mother (Indlovukazi). September 2, 2019
Swazi girl
Reed Dance The event takes place around the last week of August / first week of September in the Lobamba area. September 2, 2019
Reed Dance
Beautiful smiles The proper festivities of the Umhlanga Reed Dance kick off on day six, when dancing gets under way in the afternoon. September 2, 2019
Beautiful smiles
Singing maidens Up close, it’s an almost overwhelming immersion in noise and colour, as the girls stamp, sing and sway in step, anklets rattling, naked flesh and dazzling...
Singing maidens
Reed Dance Festival In Eswatini, tens of thousands of unmarried and childless Swazi girls and women travel from the various chiefdoms to the Ludzidzini Royal Village to participate...
Reed Dance Festival
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019 Little can prepare you for the sheer scale of the pageantry, with column upon column of girls advancing like vast ululating centipedes across the parade grounds...
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019
Reed Dance I was lucky being able to get up close to the Royal grounds of the Kingdom, being able to have some great shots (pictures taken with permission of the girls)....
Reed Dance
Mediia ladies As I arrived well ahead of the start, I had some time to mingle with the locals to understand more of their colourful culture. September 2, 2019
Mediia ladies
Swazi ladies I had just 2 nights, 1 full day in Eswatini before I had to fly back home via Johannesburg and Addis Ababa - a 27-hour journey away. September 2, 2019
Swazi ladies
Princesses Maidens being decorated with feathers on their heads are called Princesses. September 2, 2019
Princesses
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019 People visiting the annual Reed Dance are allowed to take photographs on Days 6 and 7 (main day) – as the maidens walk to deliver the reeds to the Royal...
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019
Umhlanga Festival 2019 The girls gather at the Queen Mother’s royal village on the first day of the festival. September 2, 2019
Umhlanga Festival 2019
Young Girls The event offers the visitor a unique experience. There are no special visitor arrangements as one can just walk in free of charge. September 2, 2019
Young Girls
Reed Dance Decorated with beads and bright colourfull sarongs. September 2, 2019
Reed Dance
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019 The girls cut their reeds, usually about ten to twenty, using long knives. September 2, 2019
Umhlanga Reed Dance 2019
Reed Dance 2019 A beautiful decorated young lady marching to the Royal grounds.
Reed Dance 2019
Reed Dance-39
Reed Dance 2019 It’s Eswatini’s biggest holiday and, after days of tramping the hillsides, cutting reeds and camping out, the girls are determined to party. September 2, 2019
Reed Dance 2019
Swazi girls The Swaziland Reed Dance, also known as the Umhlanga Festival, is one of the most spectacular sights in Africa. September 2, 2019
Swazi girls
Reed Dance-42 Swazi maidens singing as they march towards the stadium on day 6 of the Umhlanga festivities. September 2, 2019