Eswatini Celebrates Incwala Festival

Tuesday 10 January 2023, marked the celebration of the main day of the Big Incwala in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Incwala, often translated as “Festival of the Firstfruits”  the tasting of the first of the season bounty by the king is only one part of this long ritual.

Incwala takes place in the Royal Kraal for four days from the new harvest after the full moon nearest the summer solstice. Visitors interested in Eswatini culture are always welcome to attend but are required to respect tradition – ladies wear skirts and men are allowed not to wear hats unless they have traditional headdresses.

The event is a celebration that unites the country, helps gain ancestors’ blessing, sanctifies the kingship, and celebrates the beginning of the harvest season.  A sequence of 3 days culminates on Big Incwala, the major day of the festival when the feasting and dancing reach a climax, and thousands of people thronging the royal parade grounds. The ceremony ends when the King of Eswatini, Mswati III, in full ceremonial dress, joins his warriors in the traditional dance and enters a unique sanctuary and after some conventional rituals, eats the first fruits of the season. The songs dances and rituals that take place inside the Royal Kraal remain a matter of utmost secrecy and may not be recorded on written down.

The final day of the Incwala Festival signifies the end of the old year and welcomes the year to come. Regiments march to a forest and return with wood, which forms a central fire in the cattle byre. Objects are burnt and dancers celebrate the future to come.

Find out more about the Incwala Festival here.

PICTURES: 2024 Marula (Buganu) Festival at Buhleni Royal Residence

The Marula season begins each year in mid-February and continues until May, bringing with it a celebration of the harvest of the Marula fruit. Once the green fruits fall to the ground, women and children gather and store them until they ripen to a creamy yellow color....

Eswatini Students proudly display Eswatini Culture at colorful event in Morocco

The Confédération des Élèves, Étudiants, Stagiaires Africains et Étrangers au Maroc (CESAM) hosted a Day of Integration in Rabat at Cité Universitaire Internationale (International Students' Residence) for all foreign students.  "Eswatini students studying in...

South-South Cooperation: The Role of National Parliaments and Regional and Continental Parliamentary Unions in Africa, the Arab world, and Latin America in Enhancing Strategic Partnerships and Achieving Joint Integration and Development

In its role as the current Association of Senates, Shoora and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World (ASSECCA) President, the Kingdom of Morocco held “the Parliamentary Conference on South-South Cooperation” under the High patronage of His Majesty King...

Bilateral Meetings held on the Sidelines of the High-Level Ministerial Conference on Middle-Income Countries

Bilateral meeting between the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Senator Mrs. Pholile Dlamini-Shakantu and H.E. Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates on the sidelines of the...

The High-Level Ministerial Conference on Middle-Income Countries (MICs)

The Conference was organized on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, in conjunction with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under...

International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) Group held their annual meetings, in Marrakech, Morocco from 9-15 October 2023. This is the first meeting on African soil in 50 years. The Annual Meetings brought together finance ministers and central bank...

New Eswatini Students Embark on their Academic Journey in Morocco

Nine Eswatini students have been awarded scholarships to pursue their tertiary studies in the Kingdom of Morocco. The students departed Eswatini for Morocco to study in various fields including: engineering, medical sciences, and computer technology, to name but a...

Second South-South Health Reduction Conference

The Conference was a preeminent gathering of minds committed to improving access to safe and quality health for all in Africa. It brought together participants from the five (5) continents, including Ministers, government officials, health practitioners, scientists,...

Koffi Annan Road Safety Awards

The Kingdom of Morocco hosted the second edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Awards in Marrakech on the 25th and 26th of September 2023. Held under the theme, “Digital Transformation and Innovations for Safer Roads.” The event was jointly organized by the Ministry...

Sihlangu vs Burkina Faso

The Embassy attended and rendered support when the National Team, Sihlangu Semnikati, faced the Republic of Burkina Faso in the African Cup of Nations (AFCoN) qualifier match in Marrakech, Morocco. Eswatini students enrolled at various universities in Morocco also...
Logo Eswatini
Welcome to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Eswatini to the Kingdom of Morocco
preloader image