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]
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]
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