Makunduchi Festival (Mwaka Kogwa) 2021 | ZANZIBAR

🌍💚👌 One of the oldest and one of the biggest festivals in Zanzibar. Mwaka Kogwa is the traditional Persian (Shirazi) New Year celebration. The festival is held all around the island, but the village of Makunduchi, on southern Unguja Island, is the key focus of the ancient rituals. Thousands of people gather to attend the celebration. The festival usually lasts about four days. Mwaka Kogwa includes specific rituals to bring good luck in the New Year. To initiate the celebration a play fight takes place. All the men of the village beat each other to vent their anger from the past year. It's believed that there would be no conflicts in the town in the coming year. Past disagreements are exorcised and the new year can be started in harmony. Years ago real weapons were used for this fight. Now, banana sticks (’makoa’) are preferred because they are less violent. The women of the village are dress up in their best clothes. They move around the field singing traditional songs about family, love and joy. The fight ends when all the banana sticks are finished. Another important moment: the mganga (a traditional healer) lights a ritual hut on fire. It depends on which direction the smoke goes to determine the village’s prosperity in the coming year. Then, all the villagers join together for the feast. All guests are welcomed and considered as a sign of happiness and prosperity. Traditional Swahili food is accompanied by taarab music. Mwaka Kogwa means “ the show of the year”. It takes place every year on July This is what the festival looked like in July 2021 RO: Mwaka Kogwa este unul dintre cele mai vechi si mai importante festivaluri din Zanzibar. Se organizeaza cu ocazia trecerii in noul an persan. Sarbatoarea are loc peste tot in arhipelag, insa, in satul Makunduchi din sudul insulei Unguja, se respecta toate ritualurile si traditiile din stramosi. Timp de 4 zile, mii de oameni participa la festival. Au loc ritualuri despre care se spune ca aduc noroc in noul an. Sarbatoarea incepe cu o bataie generala intre barbatii din sat. Se spune ca astfel sunt ingropate toate supararile si conflictele din trecut, iar anul va incepe in armonie. In trecut, erau folosite arme adevarate. Astazi, au fost inlocuite cu tulpini de banan, mai putin periculoase. Batalia se incheie cand intregul stoc de arme s-a epuizat. Si femeile din comunitate sunt prezente la sarbatoare. Se imbraca in cele mai bune haine si alearga in cerc, fredonand cantece traditionale despre familie, dragoste si bucurie. Festivalul continua cu un alt moment important: un vraci local da foc unei colibe din paie. Oamenii asteapta cu sufletul la gura sa vada in ce directie o ia fumul. Acesta ar fi semnul care indica nivelul de prosperitate al comunitatii in anul care tocmai incepe. Apoi, incepe marea petrecere. Toti turistii sunt bineveniti sa se alature localnicilor. Se servesc mancaruri traditionale, pe acorduri de muzica taarab. Mwaka Kogwa inseamna "petrecerea anului". Are loc in luna iulie. Asa a aratat festivalul in iulie 2021. Povestea, pe larg, si aici: 👇 https://www.dailyescape.net/zanzibar-...