Umhlanga reed dance a cultural spectacle

Umhlanga is Swaziland's annual cultural event where virgins come and present the reed to Swaziland's Queen Mother, Indlovukazi and an occasion that the King unveils his new fiancee.

The week-long event started on August 24 and ended with a colourful closing ceremony on August 30 as record numbers of maidens dressed in Swaziland's traditional attire danced to a crowd of over 2,000 spectators, which included Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Malawi's Bingu wa Mutharika.