The First Fruits festivals of the

Nguni people The Nguni people are a Bantu ethnic group from South Africa, with off-shoots in neighbouring countries in Southern Africa. Swazi (or Swati) people live in both South Africa and Eswatini, while Northern Ndebele people live in both South Africa ( ...

s in Southern AfricaSnedegar, Keith, irst Fruit Celebrations among the Nguni Peoples of Southern Africa: An Ethnoastromical Interpretation ''Science History Publications'', 1998. Retrieved 2011/03/18. are a type of sacrificial ceremony of giving the first fruits in a harvest to

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

believed to be responsible for the abundance of food. It was performed by the high priests of the kingdom, and the king was always in attendance. Traditionally, it marked a time of prosperity in the good harvests experienced after the seasonal agricultural period. It also brought the nation together, unifying it at a time of merrymaking and quashing fears of famine. The tradition is still practiced mainly in the kingdoms of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

and

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

. The ceremonies are headed by the kings of the tribes:

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

in Swaziland, celebrated as

Incwala Incwala () is the main ritual of kingship in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This is a national event that takes place during the summer solstice. The main participant in incwala is the King of Eswatini; when there is no king there is no incwala. Inc ...

, and

King Goodwill Zwelithini King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu (27 July 1948 – 12 March 2021) was the reigning King of the Zulu nation from 1968 to his death in 2021. He became King on the death on of his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu, in 1968 aged 20 years. P ...

of the Zulu nation, celebrated as

Umkhosi Wokweshwama Umkhosi Wokweshwama ("first fruits festival"), recently also known as ''Umkhosi Woselwa'' ("calabash festival"), is the annual harvest festival of the Zulu people, observed around the December solstice. It takes place at the Enyokeni Royal Pala ...

References

Nguni Harvest festivals {{Africa-stub