Festival Umhlanga in Swaziland

September 1, 2014 in Swaziland will host the national festival Umhlanga, and ldquo;dance of the reed and rdquo;, during which the king of Swaziland chooses another wife.

Annually, this festival attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world.

The annual festival of the cane Umhlanga, which is also called the festival of virgins, is one of the most colourful and unusual festivals in South Africa, and its history goes back several hundred years.

Each time at this festival from all over the Kingdom are brought tens of thousands of girls and women for traditional cane collection, fulfillment and authentic ldquo;the purity of the Dance & rdquo; and the Royal bride. Usually this event involves contestants aged 6 to 25 years, dressed in a special costume, consisting of beaded reed skirts and colored garlands with thread tassels.

The choice of the bride usually occurs after the collection of the reed shoots that Swazi girls bring to the Royal Palace and put at the feet of their monarch.

Then comes the ritual dances which last for several hours, and after them the monarch of Swaziland is announcing the selection of several of the most beautiful member, one of which will then become the new Queen.

Selected girls are trained in the Palace, during which they are taught etiquette, and other items required for the future wife, Mswati III.

The most beautiful and diligent student soon to be named Royal fiancee, and the rest of the girls have become wives of the Swazi princes.

During the festival, Selected & nbsp;Umhlanga girls will forever remain in the Royal family – to return to the parental home more, they will not.

The cane Umhlanga festival is held annually in late summer or early autumn. To participate in the casting for the role of future Queen of Swaziland can only local woman and the Princess of the house of Dlamini. The latter differ from the rest of the contenders ornaments of red feathers in her hair.

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