Swaziland Culture

Picture of King Mswati III which is required to be in every official Swazi business

 

Swaziland is a country very rich in culture and tradition.  Most people are very religious and identify as Christians.  They are a polygamous nation and it is not uncommon for males to have several wives.  King Mswati III now has 14 wives with his latest wife being 16 years of age.  We found the Swazi marriage ceremony to be of particular interest.  When a male is interested in marrying a female he picks a group of his closest friends and they negotiate with the bride's family on how many cows the marriage is worth.  The average dowry is about 18 cows per woman.  Every year there is a ceremony called the Umhlanga or "Reed Dance" in which thousands of maidens gather to show homage to the royal family.  It is not uncommon for the king to select a prospective fiancee at this ceremony. 

The traditonal Swazi lives on a homestead.  Instead of traditional housing, where all the rooms are located in one building, they have separate huts with different functions.  Many homesteads do not have running water, plumbing, or electricity.  All meals are cooked over a fire, and the bathroom is usually just a hole in the ground.  Most Swazi's have to walk miles to get drinking water, and bathe by heating water over an open fire and washing their bodies.  The more fortunate people are able to buy large water containers that can hold enough for several months.