Soul Dose

   (That's me on 05 February 2005)

One black South African tradition is called "Umhlonyana/Umemulo", that is they make a ceremony for a girl saying you're a woman now, you're free to get knocked up... I'm joking about the knocked up part, just trying to lighten the mood after my boring post yesterday.

During the ceremony, the young woman is showered with gifts in the form of money notes, which are attached with safety pins to something she wears on her head called "inkehli", it's  hat of some sort with decorations and I don't know the English word for it... The whole thing is really nice and to prepare for the the local girls together with the girl in question sing and go around the neighborhood dancing for neighbors and asking for coins in return, it's all part of the fun and of tradition. If they come knocking on your door you go out and watch them Zulu Dance for you, then you contribute and the sing as they walk to the next house. They do this every evening for the whole week till the ceremony day.

Mine was a lot different though, I was getting worse and was about to turn 21 years old, my family wanted to do it for me because it was time but also because they wanted to make me feel alive and part of something outside my bedroom. I was hesitant because I knew a lot of local people were gonna come and a lot of other people, I hadn't been seen by lots and I was too self conscious. But they convinced me and well who can say no to a party.

So we spent Friday night at my grandmother's house (my dad's mother) and went back to my other grandmother's house for the party, the one I live with. We got there very early in the morning on Saturday the 5th February 2005 and as tradition I had to go bath in  the river with the other girls that were gonna be Zulu Dancing with me......... I couldn't do this but my family thought it was important and decided to drive me and dip me, leaving the other girls behind (I hated this part of the ceremony but I was about to have my memulo and that was too nice because I had written it out of the things I was gonna have, along with children, marriage, degree, job, you know the usual, ha ha ha.

We went back home and I got dressed in my slight traditional wear and that's my grandmother getting me ready to go to the yard where the dancing and celebrations were to happen. The man next to me is my grandfather's brother and my favorite guy. He sadly passed away in 2006 and I'm still not over it because I only heard it fresh in April and he was very special to me and apparently we got even closer after I got sick.

Then I went out to start the celebrations..........................

And another one......................................

They put money on my head (my favorite part)

I did have some unpleasant fainting moments and couldn't keep my head steady after wards, like above.

When the dance ended I changed and wore my party clothes, we went into the tent and  I had all my friends with me, take a look.

I'm the one in the light blue top and the one holding me on my right is one of my oldest friends, the one holding the left we were during our last year of high school.

After that we went to my bedroom because I was tired and laughed for hours, some spent the night and others left very late..... Judging from the pictures it was a great day and I thank everyone who made it possible, God bless you all.