The African New Year celebration The new year is celebrated after the last days of Mariha/winter. This is to give way to new life after the dry season, which is after winter in Central South Africa. The African new year start therefore in August – Phato, known for the blowing winds, clearing Mother Earth and refreshing the ground with showers of Spring. Africans or Basotho in particular, do not follow the Gregorian calendar as is the practice, but rather rely on the solstice and position of the moon, the natural indicator of seasonal rotation. “Ha kgwedi e toloka”. Selemo/Spring • Phato / August/ Lwetse / September / Mphalane / October • The first season of the Basotho year is Spring. During this season, the Basotho begin to plough their fields, preparing to sow. An important Basotho custom is to plough the main field first, which is the Chief’s. All the men in the village gather around the Chief’s on the set day, to sow the land. At the beginning of the year, the traditional doctors also renew their services that were done to strengthen people’s home, with fresh young herbs. The important feasts that are celebrated during this season are: the ‘Lewa’ feast, which is a thanksgiving feast, for the ancestors to thank them for all the good and bad they carried them through, and the ‘Matlhatlo’ feast, which is a thanksgiving feast for a good harvest. • Lehlabula / Summer The second season is summer. When there is lightning and thunder, it is the beginning of Summer. This time of the year brings warmth to the poor, and even the poorest people are free. During the summer, there are some stars that appear to show the Basotho that is now Summer. The Tosa star is the first star that appears, and it shines throughout the night. In the evening, the ‘Sefalabohoho’ is the star that appears on top of the mountains, eager to go over the mountains to appear as ‘Mphatlalatsane’ the early morning star, in the East. It is during this season when the main work is to weed out the fields and to put babies under the rain showers, to ensure that they do not grow up scared of the rain. The Basotho have the wisdom of knowing how to predict the weather by looking at the shape of the moon. When the moon is facing down, it is said to pour out its water, and the rain can pour down. When the trees are in bloom but later dry out and die, they show that the snow will fall. The second season is summer. When there is lightning and thunder, it is the beginning of Summer. This time of the year brings warmth to the poor, and even the poorest people are free. During the summer, there are some stars that appear to show the Basotho that is now Summer. The Tosa star is the first star that appears, and it shines throughout the night. In the evening, the ‘Sefalabohoho’ is the star that appears on top of the mountains, eager to go over the mountains to appear as ‘Mphatlalatsane’ the early morning star, in the East. It is during this season when the main work is to weed out the fields and to put babies under the rain showers, to ensure that they do not grow up scared of the rain. The Basotho have the wisdom of knowing how to predict the weather by looking at the shape of the moon. When the moon is facing down, it is said to pour out its water, and the rain can pour down. When the trees are in bloom but later dry out and die, they show that the snow will fall. Lehwetla / Autumn • Tlhakola / February / Tlhakubele / March / Mmesa / April • Autumn is here and we are happy, we eat fruit, vegetables and watermelons! Autumn is the third season; there is an abundance of food and we are full. Therefore, this is the right time for Basotho to have feasts like ‘Mokete wa Mohlaba’ which is held to thank the ancestors. Very early on the day of the feast, the family and relatives go to the graveyard to pray or talk to their ancestors. • Mariha / Winter These are the months characterised by the bitter cold and is the right time to go to initiation school because there is enough food for the initiates. Before harvest time, we have a feast called “ho loma”. Literally, this means to bite. During this feast we eat the first crop of the season. This could be the top part of the grain that got chopped off or that got picked off by the birds. In winter, the main work done by the Basotho is to weave. We can select these types of grass for that: Qokwa, Loli, Moseme and Molula. This is a good time to gather the types of grass used to weave tools or utensils made with grass, like Sesotho hats (dikatiba), baskets used to measure grain (diroto), beer sieves (metlhotlo), baskets used to store grain (disiu) and others. A big traditional event that happens in winter is when those who have lost their relatives go through a ritual called ‘ho rola thapo’. This is a way of cleansing them of the bad luck that befell them. The blankets and clothes of the deceased people who passed on the previous year are usually washed at this time.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 06:34:03 +0000
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