Swaziland is a small country of 960,000 people located at the southern tip of Africa. Swaziland is the last monarchy in Africa, and the king is considered the soul of Swaziland and the idol of all Swazis. Swaziland's inherent rawness and wildness attracts travelers from all over the world. One of the most famous of Swaziland's many primitive attractions is the Hula Festival.
The Hula Festival, held annually in late August or early September, is Swaziland's oldest ritual. At the Hula Festival, thousands of young girls from all over Swaziland gather in front of the palace to dance for the Queen of Swaziland. Dressed in colorful miniature skirts and sashes adorned with balls of wool, the girls dance to traditional music while topless. Ancient Swaziland worships the virginity of young girls, and it is said that at hula festivals, the older generation can tell if a girl is a virgin by the shape of her breasts and buttocks.
The Swaziland Hula was originally a celebration of maidenhood and virginity. But since 1999, Mswati III has turned the traditional dance into a wife-selection contest, choosing a bride from among the thousands of dancing girls.
Authorized Swazi folklore sources say the hula reflects the country's female culture and traditions. In Swaziland, where traditional houses are covered with reeds and women are responsible for gathering them, the girls' "ticket" to the festival is a bunch of reeds. Black girls from all over the country, dressed in simple tribal garb or even just a little shawl, gather near the palace to sing and dance in honor of the queen.
The king also chose his new wife from among the many "dancing girls". However, the probability of a young girl being elected through the dance is extremely low, so most young girls just come with reeds and return empty-handed. The reeds that remain after the festival are used by the new princess to build her new house.
In fact, the hula will officially begin with 50,000 maidens dancing bare-breasted in front of the royal palace, most of them going for the title of the king's 13th wife. The current King of Swaziland, Mswati III, seems to have a penchant for choosing his consorts at the hula. Back when Mswati III was a crown prince, he and the current queen met romantically at the hula. Since then, the festival has become, in addition to its traditional significance, a veritable casting contest.
Mswati III, in his prime, will be choosing his thirteenth wife at this year's festival, where 50,000 bare-breasted girls will be dancing to catch the king's eye and realize his dream of becoming a phoenix.