Umkhosi Wokweshwama

Umkhosi Wokweshwama [um̩kʰoːsi woɠʷeʃʷaːma] ("first fruits festival"), recently also known as Umkhosi Woselwa [um̩kʰoːsi woseːlʷa] ("calabash festival"), is the annual harvest festival of the Zulu people, observed around the December solstice. It takes place at the Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, and is presided over by the Zulu King, who conducts a tasting ceremony as sacred king, closed by the dashing of a calabash to signify that the people may now enjoy the fruits of the harvest; this role was historically expanded by Shaka to have more military significance with a muster and parade.[1][2][3][4][5] It was revived by the current king's father, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in 1990, after a ban by British colonial authorities following the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana and Zulu defeat in the Anglo-Zulu War (the last was held in winter 1877–78, though some claim continuity as a less elaborate event).[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu revived the festival in 1990.
The dashing of a calabash by the Zulu King signifies that the people may now enjoy the fruits of the harvest.

The festival has mass participation by young men, as Umkhosi woMhlanga has by young women. There is a black bull sacrifice in the king's kraal as the young men work together to kill the animal without weapons, which was the subject of a failed lawsuit by South African animal rights activists in 2009.[11][12][5] The sacrifice of the bull is seen as transferring the bull's power to the king.[11] The iNkatha was also renewed.[4] The Scottish mythographer James George Frazer speculated that this reflected an ancient practice of sacrificing the king himself.[13]

The Kingdom of Swaziland's counterpart event is Incwala, part of a larger family of Nguni First Fruit traditions.[2] Aspects of the festival have been adapted by the Zulu-initiated Nazareth Baptist Church in its celebration of Christmas.[14] The Zulu festival was a partial inspiration for the modern African-American holiday of Kwanzaa.[15]

References
  1. Flint, Karen Elizabeth (2008). Healing Traditions: African Medicine, Cultural Exchange, and Competition in South Africa, 1820–1948. Ohio University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780821418499. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  2. Snedegar, Keith (1998). "First Fruits Celebrations among the Nguni Peoples of Southern Africa: An Ethnoastronomical Interpretation". Journal for the History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy Supplement. 29: 31–38. Bibcode:1998JHAS...29...31S.
  3. Chidester, David (2014-06-27). Religions of South Africa (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. pp. 25–27. ISBN 9781317649878. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  4. Canwell, Diane (2004-09-30). Zulu Kings and their Armies. Pen and Sword. pp. 33–36. ISBN 9781844150601. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  5. "In the High Court Of South Africa KwaZulu-Natal-Natal, Pietermaritzburg – Case No: 10237/2009" (PDF). Southern African Legal Information Institute. 2009-01-04. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-01-03.
  6. Dubin, Steven C. (2012). Spearheading Debate: Culture Wars & Uneasy Truces. Jacana Media. p. 59. ISBN 9781431407378. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  7. Bevan, Stephen (2007). "Bulls' killing in Zulu rite condemned as barbaric". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  8. Rautenbach, Christa (2011-12-19). "Umkhosi Ukweshwama: Revival of a Zulu Festival in Celebration of the Universe's Rites of Passage". Rochester, NY. SSRN 1974444. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. Johannesburg, Christopher S. Wren; Christopher S. Wren is The Times's bureau chief in (1991-02-17). "The Chief Steps Forward". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2018-01-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Johannesburg, Christopher S. Wren; Christopher S. Wren is The Times's bureau chief in (1991-02-17). "The Chief Steps Forward". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2018-01-15.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Bearak, Barry (2009-12-08). "Spilling the Blood of Bulls to Preserve Zulu Tradition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
  12. "Bull-killing can go ahead, says court". Mail & Guardian. 2009-04-12. Archived from the original on 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  13. Frazer, James George (2012-04-26). The Golden Bough. Cambridge University Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9781108047371. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  14. Oosthuizen, Gerhardus Cornelis (1967). The Theology of a South African Messiah: An Analysis of the Hymnal of The Church of the Nazarites. Brill Archive. p. 112. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
  15. Mayes, Keith A. (2009-09-10). Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition. Routledge. p. 84. ISBN 9781135284008. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09.
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