Zambia's Local
Culture
There are 72 tribes in Zambia, each with a unique culture and a form of dressing. In modern-day Zambia, most people wear the chitenge as shown in the picture with other western influenced pieces (Kapambwe, 2018). The Chitenge is a very colorful material worn every day by Zambians. The material can be used to sew any type of clothing from dresses to shirts, to pants, etc.
The Zambian chitenge is a wrap-around skirt generally worn by women. You will find someone wearing a chitenge skirt usually with a similar colored headscarf.
In Zambian culture, a woman in a chitenge is portrayed as dressing very modestly. Any fashion that departs from the Zambian chitenge is considered as western.
Traditional Ceremonies inZambia
There are more than 20 annual traditional ceremonies in Zambia, manifesting customs, social life, rituals, oral history, material, and spiritual culture and if you have the opportunity to attend one, do. They provide valuable insight into a traditional culture that has been passed down from generation to generation (Kapambwe, 2018).
The open ceremonies that visitors can watch are those that signify ancient times, when new kingdoms were being founded by ancient chiefs and are usually splendid, colorful affairs with much symbolism in their dancing and drumming (Culture, n.d).
The Nc’wala ceremony involves Paramount Chief dressed in leopard skin re-enacting an old tradition which has roots in early Zulu culture. The Chief must taste the first fruits of the land, (usually maize, sugarcane and pumpkin) (Kapambwe, 2018).
The Makishi masquerades are very popular in Zambia and are displayed with pride at the Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony on the last weekend of August every year. The Makishi come from a tradition of boys initiation in which moral lessons are imparted and practical life lessons to young boys between 8 and 12 are given (Kapambwe, 2018).
The name means "to get out of the water onto the dry ground". Every year towards the end of the rainy season as the flood plain of the upper Zambezi Valley rises, the Lozi people make a ceremonial move to higher ground.
The celebration is an annual reminder of the victories of Chief Mwata Kazembe when his great kingdom migrated en masse into Luapula from the Congo earlier this century (Culture, n.d).
References
Zambian Chitenge And The Zambian Woman. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.itsbesttravel.com/zambian-chitenge.html
The Chitenge - A Zambian fashion essential. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pocketcultures.com/2010/05/19/chitenge-zambian-fashion-essential/
Kapambwe, M. (2018, March 29). 9 Traditional Festivals in Zambia You Have to Attend. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/africa/zambia/articles/9-traditional-festivals-in-zambia-you-have-to-attend/
Culture Tour Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bantupathfinderstravel.com/traditions-and-culture/