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Around 40,000 virgins participated in this year Reed dance.
The Reed Dance tradition, which was intended to protect women from rape and promote staying pure until marriage, was started by King Mpande kaSenzangakhona in the 1800s.
King Mpande was inspired to start the Reed Dance after hearing that young women used reeds to defend themselves from men who tried to attack them.
The maidens brought the reeds to the palace, and they were used as a symbol of protection against men who preyed on women. King Mpande decided to have a ceremony to encourage maidens to remain virgins until they were married.
It wasn’t until 1984 that King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and Queen Regent Mantfombi kaSobhuza Dlamini-Zulu revived the Reed Dance. Initially, only daughters of the Zulu royal family attended the ceremony.
On Saturday, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini celebrated 40 years since the ceremony was revived.
