Umhlanga

Umhlanga is a traditional dance where up to sixty thousand single Swazi virgins gather to dance in front of the king of Swaziland. The young women range in age from four to twenty-five, wear necklaces, short skirts, and long tassels denoting their readiness to marry, and most are naked from the waist up. Maidens must be virgins.

The king can choose a maiden to be his betrothed. At the ceremony held on September 6, 2004 he chose a sixteen-year-old Umhlanga young contestant and runner-up in a Miss Swaziland pageant as his fiancée.

Zululand

King Goodwill Zwelethini kaBhekuzulu, whose Zulu traditions are not very different from those of Swaziland, reinstated the tradition of Umhlanga in the neighboring South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, held annually at the Palace Enyokeni in Nongoma. Women must pass a virginity test to attend. The King takes advantage of this occasion to give speeches of general interest to the population, recently related to AIDS.

Other meanings

Umhlanga or Umhlanga Rocks is a coastal town now part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.