The Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, was very impressive. Tens of thousands of young girls, grouped by regions and dressed in a variety of traditional costumes (and all, somehow, “certified” virgins), marched and sang in an hours-long procession around a huge field and in front of King Mswati III, his 13 wives and the Queen Mother. Then the groups moved into the center of the field and danced. Several smaller groups (perhaps a couple hundred, total) of spear-wielding, loin-cloth-clad men occasionally left the stands to dance among the girls. The king joined these men in a tour of the maidens; in the past, he has been known to pick one (maybe more -- I'm not sure) from the crowd to be his newest wife. (FYI: the king has just turned 40; the girls are in their teens.) The event was quite a spectacle and I took many photos.
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