The Reed Dance was introduced in the year 1991 in South Africa.
The Dance takes place in a royal kraal of the Zulu king known as Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal.
It was introduced to promote respect for women, virginity before marriage and to show-off the cultural heritage of the Zulu kingdom.
Since the festival’s introduction, tens of thousands of young women have participated in the ceremony, dressed in short Zulu beaded skirts and necklaces over their bare breasts, bracelets, anklets, colourful sashes, and izigege and izinculuba that show their bottoms.
The festival gets its name from the reeds which grow in a nearby riverbed and which are carried in a procession by the young Zulu women — invited to the King’s palace after passing a virginity test.
In the months leading to September, the young women undergo virginity tests, where older Zulu women examine the girl’s hymen to see whether it’s still intact.
If the women’s hymen is deemed to be intact, this is celebrated with ululating and songs of joy.
According to Zulu tradition, only virgins are permitted to take part in the Reed Dance to ensure that the ceremony is “pure”.
Virginity testing was originally used in the Zulu kingdom to determine dowries. Traditionally, more cows are presented to the bride’s family if the bride is still a virgin.
Isn't this beautiful? If you have been to the reed dance please share your experience and also the benefits of this amazing ceremony for young girls. ❤❤❤❤💯👍
