It's Function Season

I had a wonderful weekend in my village, full of visits and celebrations.  On Saturday, I visited one of the high school teachers in a nearby village. She made chicken feet just for me. Even though I vowed to try everything once, I picked at the feet instead of giving it my all and gnawing on them. On Sunday, I was sitting outside enjoying the sun with my family when my host mom asked if I’d want to go visit a family member quickly. I said sure, changed into a skirt, and we were off. Little did I know I was walking into a full blown-traditional Zulu celebration.

It’s winter, meaning traditional celebrations (or “functions”) are in full swing. If you ask why there are so many celebrations in winter, the answer is, “Because meat stays longer”. Obviously.

How important a party is can be gaged by how many animals are slaughtered. The scale ranges from goat (small party, might make an appearance) to 2+ cows (big deal, gotta go). In general, if you ask, “What’s the celebration for?” the response is, “Not sure, two cows were slaughtered”. Many of the ceremonies are cleansing ceremonies, celebrating someone who passed away (even if not recently) and honoring ancestors. Zulus also have traditional celebrations for weddings, engagements, even 21^st birthdays.

Most traditional ceremonies follow the same routine. The men sit in the kraal outside, according to age and importance. The oldest men get the “best” part of the cow—the head…tongue, brain, you name it. The women sit inside a big rondavel (circular house).  Similar to a middle school dance, the men and women rarely, if ever, cross the lawn to mingle.  The traditional meal that is served consists of cabbage (cole slaw-form or cooked with a curry), beet root, spinach or swiss card, samp (cooked hominy) and beans, boiled chicken, squash, and rice or phuthu (made with corn meal and boiled water).  After the meal, presents are presented to the host. The host sits on a chair in the middle and everyone sings; one by one people drape clothes and blankets over the host.  At the very end of the day, a ton of food is brought out and put in the center of the room.  Women (who are in the family and of some importance) are selected to distribute the food. They pass out cakes, muffins, sodas, beers, fruit, jeqa (traditional steamed bread) and most importantly—boiled cow meat. Tons of cow meat.  Everyone who attends the celebration pulls out their empty plastic grocery bags and starts loading up. I guess you could say they are Zulu party favors.

Mix in a lot of dancing, and there you have it: a traditional Zulu celebration.