Eswatini cultural practices

The Kingdom of Eswatini, commonly known as Eswatini, is a landlocked country located in southeastern Africa. It is surrounded by South Africa in the north, west and south, and is adjacent to Mozambique in the east. It is located on the east slope of the Drakens Mountains on the southeastern edge of the South African Plateau. The three-level plateau extending in the north and south direction is mainly distributed across the territory. The altitude rises from 100 meters to 1800 meters from east to west, forming a three-level ladder zone of low, medium and high with approximately equal areas. There are many rivers, the eastern border is mountainous, and the rivers are rocky beaches, which has a subtropical climate. Eswatini and China have not yet formally established diplomatic relations. It has one of the countries with the highest HIV infection and mortality rates in the world, and the country with the shortest average life expectancy, with an average life expectancy of only about 35 years.

The official languages of Eswatini are English, Swazi and Zulu. Lu (Zulu: isiZulu) is the language of the Zulu, the largest ethnic group in South Africa, and one of the most popular languages in Africa. It is a language spoken by the Zulu people. About 9 million people currently use it, 95% of whom live in the Republic of South Africa. The mother tongue of 24% of South Africans is Zulu, which is the largest language in South Africa. About 50% of the people in the country can understand Zulu (Ethnologue 2005). After the end of apartheid, Zulu became one of South Africa's 11 official languages in 1994.

Per capita GDP ranks among the top African countries and is classified as a lower-middle income country by the World Bank. Pursuing a free market economy, attaching importance to the use of private and foreign capital, and encouraging exports. Due to the high degree of openness of the economy and the main exports of agricultural products, economic growth is greatly affected by climatic conditions and changes in the international market. It is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Eswatini has a dual legal system of Roman-Dutch law and traditional customary law. The judiciary consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court (formerly the Court of Appeal), the High Court, the District Court and the Swazi (Chiefs) Court. The Constitutional Court has the final power to rule on decisions of the above two court systems. The Swazi Court is only responsible for hearing civil and criminal cases in areas under the jurisdiction of the chief.

Eswatini retains remnants of the tribal period. Implement polygamy and engage in a mixed economy of agriculture and animal husbandry. The chief has great power. Men's traditional clothing is animal skin shawl, and women wear skirts, aprons and shawls. Good at singing and dancing. There are two major traditional festivals in Eswatini. One is the "Inkwara" festival, which is held from December to January every year, a few days before the summer solstice. It is mainly to pay tribute to the king, which means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. The second is the Reed Dance Festival, which is held from July to August every year to teach young girls how to work in the fields and is usually held near the palace.

Every August, the "great wizard" in Eswatini will select an "auspicious day" based on the solar calendar, and then report to the king and announce the start date of the Reed Dance Festival to the outside world. The Reed Dance Festival originated from the Adult Day of Girls. It is a grand gathering attended by unmarried girls across the country and the most important festival in the country. Although many people have begun to stay away from traditional lifestyles under the influence of Western ideas, thousands of young girls still have a special liking for this. In their eyes, the reed dance not only displays their youthful charm, but also Eswatini's unique national culture. During the celebration ceremony, the king would personally visit the scene and give new content to the festival: selecting the most beautiful girl from tens of thousands of girls singing and dancing, turning the festival into a concubine selection meeting, and finally slaughtering 25 cows. The girls finished the beef with satisfaction and went home, and the Reed Dance Festival came to an end. Every year, the Reed Dance Festival lasts for eight days.