Thousands of Zulu maidens have made their way to northern KwaZulu-Natal for the annual Reed Dance. The uMkhosi woMhlanga ceremony, which will take place this weekend, will help young girls prepare for womanhood.

Check out photos of traditionally clad Zulu maidens as they prepare to take part in the mini reed dance (uMkhosi woMhlanga) in the rural district of Emalangeni, Swaziland.

 

Africa is blessed with some really cool traditions, festivals and customs some of which have stood the test of time because of the people and their almost religious disposition to keeping them alive and ensuring that they are passed on from one generation to the next.