Interpretation

The Incwala celebration is a traditional celebration, which occurs once a year near every new year. The celebration is religious and social. It is also economical in a way. The celebration significance is to acknowledge the new fruit given from the Swazi's ancestors and the king (Lifestyle and Culture). The celebration gives the current king more wisdom and endow the nation with rain and fortune. Before the celebration, the foam represents a calling to the ancestors and the king drinks it with his dinner (Carrie). The foam will bring mystical powers to the king for him to reach the gods or ancestors (Carrie). These powers are used to help his people. During the celebration, where the young men go to collect branches from the sacred Lusekwane bush, the branches signify the men's purity (Lifestyle and Culture). The branches will disappear or disinigrate in the man's hand if they have already seduced a married woman or impregnated a young maiden (Carrie). If the branch is not in a man's hand when he returns from the walk, the “pure” Swazis will beat him (Beckwith and Fisher 2002). The seducer brings shame but can beg for forgiveness. After the walk, the Swazis dance and the warriors slaughter an ox. The ox is a source of food and summons their ancestors for the bonfire (Lifestyle and Culture). At the bonfire, the Swazis pray to their ancestors and the ancestors answer by casting rain. The rain will put out the fire. The rain shows the Swazis their prayers have been answered (Carrie). The Swazi dances around the bonfire, chant, and cheer for their ancestors. The bonfire also brings the Swazi people together, a sign of bonding and closeness (Beckwith and Fisher 2002). The last day where the king eats the first fruit sets the approval for everyone else. The Swazis look to their king as a sense of guidance. He is not a ruler nor sets the rules but is there as a figure of kinship and to settle disputes (Brisco and Thompson 2003: 310). At the end, the warriors cut the king's fields for the new harvest. The Swazis eat and store the new harvest until the next years food and the traditional Incwala celebration.

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