South africa

Customs and traditions 

South African Customs and Traditions

    South African culture is very wide and it has been enriched with the passage of time to the various sectors of society such as art, music, religion, and customs of the country but despite having been influenced by Western culture, South Africa has maintained the ancient African traditions. South African culture is unique, the simple fact of being a mestizo country, where they have lived for better or worse ways cultures like Asian, European, African .. It made this country one of the richest cultures that we can find. The diversity of the South African population has led to a diverse and rich culture. Miscegenation in urban areas has promoted the disappearance of some traditions, but still some of them have retained the attachment to religion and witchcraft (called sangomase) has been very influential in their customs and traditions.

          In this report we will focus on some common traditions of the South African people and some customs of the tribes of the country. Leave in the most typical traditions of the Zulu tribe.

     An important tradition is when a man wants to get marry whit a woman. The man has to pay a tax, which is actually the groom compensation for the family of the woman for taking a daughter. Another tradition is known artisanal circumcision they do this to young people when they become adults and occurs when the father decides he's ready to go to the "cabin" this period lasts approximately six weeks and helps the young learn the traditions of their ethnicity, this preparation culminates with his circumcision.

The wedding Zulu

              It features the girls wear their costumes Zulu accounts very short skirts, brightly colored beads on neck and arms and breasts exposed. Men, meanwhile, Zulu shields and spears flying in many different sizes, and some are dressed in traditional Zulu garments. The ritual dances and songs are one of the most important aspects of the wedding and everyone participates in them ending up exhausted. A striking procession accompanies the bride, while the men dance, almost all with shields and spears Zulus of very different sizes, with the traditional Zulu dress. . Young girls wear their typical costumes Zulu accounts of very short skirts, brightly colored beads on their necks and arms and breasts are exposed. Go ahead with their dances and songs to where the groom grooming Zulus in their finery and accompanied by his "godfathers". Men also danced and sang to constantly groom. The groom's family, to his left, will receive gifts from the bride's family consisting of numerous blankets and mats. The groom had already won for delivery to the bride's family. And the dances and songs follow one another in a very natural. The great joy and laughter are the general tone all the time, alternating with some protocol solemn acts.

         All over the year there are various festivals, which celebrate achievements mainly on human rights and social equality.

January 1: New Year's Day. Is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state.

March 21: Human Rights Day. In South Africa, Human Rights Day is celebrated on 21 March, in remembrance of the Sharpeville massacre which took place on 21 March 1960.

April 27: Freedom Day (national holiday). It celebrates freedom and commemorates the first post-apartheid elections held on that day in 1994.They were the first national elections in South Africa in which the franchise did not depend upon race.

May 1: Labor Day. On 1 May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day (effectively a May Day holiday). Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party and other labor movements in the struggle against Apartheid

June 16: Youth Day. On 16 June in South Africa commemorates the start of the Soweto riots of 1976, initially sparked by a government edict that all instruction in black schools would be held in Afrikaans

August 9: women day. On August 9th, 1956, some 20,000 women marched to the Union government Buildings in Pretoria to protest against a law requiring black women to carry passes.

September 24: Heritage Day. National Heritage Day of the new democratic South Africa in 1994: “When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation”

December 16: Day of Reconciliation. Is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 december. The holiday came into effect in 1994 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity.

December 25: Christmas day

Conclusion

        The South African people have a rich cultural diversity, therefore not as easy to recognize some of their typical traditions, that why we had to travel a bit to the past and focus on the Zulu people. As for the custom, was easier to identify because they are in their most important dates of most common celebrations