Ancestors are thanked for good harvest of Marula fruits

It was the sound of the drumbeat, whistles and cultural dancers steps that kept Muti wa VaTsonga cultural village, far east of Tzaneen in the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve alive this past weekend. The diversity of tribes that gathered to embrace the Vuluma Vukanyi (the tasting of the first marula fruit) ceremony which painted a rainbow culture that the province has and is doing in preserving the heritage.

The two-day event was kick started with a night vigil of traditional practitioners intimate ritual ceremony with the gods, to please and thank the ancestors for yet another year of the marula fruit harvest and to announce that the gods officially allow it to be used for different purposes.

This annual event paves the way for the Marula festival to be held next month. It is one of the tourism attractions of the province and plays a significant economic role that boost the local economy.

Taking to the podium, MEC Kekana said the department of Sports, Arts and Culture remained proud to partner with the House of Traditional Leaders in ensuring that they revive traditional way of brewing the marula beverage to sustain the indigenous knowledge.

Now that the ceremony has been performed and ancestors have been pleased, those involved in the brewing business of the fruit will continue to sell and serve it at different gatherings such as weddings.

Those that gathered to witness Vuluma Vukanyi were allowed to taste the brewed beverage and the snakes ques with empty plastic bottles with the hope of taking some back home painted a picture of how much the residents have been waiting for the ceremony and could not waste anymore time with indulging with the drink.

The April Marula festival will see an ordinary men and women on the streets making money to feed their families by selling this Marula beer to the tourists.

By: Emmaculate Cindi