Through the ages, ritual dances have been part of human culture. Although artistic, the _umxhentso_ dance is a ritual dance performed by the Xhosa _amagqirha _(traditional healers) to establish connections with supernatural beings. During the dance performance, the amagqirha enter a state of trance and connect with the spiritual realm. During this state of trance, they seek guidance and vision from their ancestors. The _amagqirha_, in all the Xhosa communities, perform these dance rituals at initiation and healing ceremonies. The objectives (...) of this study were to examine the religious and social purposes of _umxhentso_ dance in amagqirha rituals and determine how it assists amagqirha in establishing connections with their ancestors during ceremonies. This study adopted the naturalistic research approach in studying the _umxhentso_ dance during the amagqirha ceremonies. The researchers examined, evaluated and assessed the research participants’ actions and behaviours in a natural setting within a societal and cultural framework. (shrink)

Traditional festivals have become a prominent topic of research because of their social-cultural values. The values, and beliefs of a people are demonstrated through festivals. However, thus far, limited research has been conducted on the more profound issue of the possible contribution of festivals as a cultural symbol. This study aims to portray the symbols of the Abraka people’s culture through the Ovwuvwe festival celebration. The Ovwuvwe festival was chosen as the study area, due to its rich and unique cultural (...) heritage, with the main aim of creating an avenue in preserving and displaying the cultural heritage of the Abraka people through the Ovwuvwe festival celebration. Through participation, interviews and critical observation, this paper demonstrates the cultural symbol of the Abraka people through Ovwuvwe. (shrink)