Today marked the date of the King Shaka Day celebration! We were excited to head back to Zululand and see this much-anticipated event. We got there early and met a Canadian couple (the only other non-Black people at the grounds). The main grounds were full of people dressed up in lively and colourful beaded outfits. It was interesting to see how they had adapted the traditional garments to make room for the more commonly worn Western clothing. Giant buses delivered thousands of energetic youths to the grounds, where the current Zulu King and the President of South Africa (Jacob Zuma) were expected to speak.
We spent the better part of the morning there, watching the locals perform traditional dances and sing. The other Canadian couple was worried about being spotted by the camera that projected onto the jumbotrons on the side of the stage, and sure enough they were the first ones to show up! We were caught on camera shortly after, and Sami gave the crowd of thousands a polite wave while Gen hurriedly walked in the other direction.
At one point, a group of bare-breasted traditionally-clothed Zulu girls started dancing, and two of them confidently walked up to the Canadian man we met and offered to take some photos with him. He shyly walked up to them as his wife snapped a photo, and the girls giggled excitedly as they walked away. It was all very cute! They were surprisingly comfortable around cameras and encouraged us all to take photos while they performed their traditional dance, which featured high kicks in the air to show the young men how flexible they are. The young men would often stand up and perform a similar dance to show off their own flexibility - apparently a very attractive trait in traditional cultures here. We noticed the same style of dancing in the cultural village in Swaziland.
One of the most interesting traits we have noticed in this region is how friendly everyone appears to be. Oftentimes, random children and even adults will approach us with big smiles just to say hello, ask where we are from, and welcome us to their country. It is very heartwarming. Even among locals, it is as if there is no such thing as a "stranger". Two unacquainted locals appear to greet and talk as if they were long time friends, particular between men and women, which can be quite fun to observe given the overtly flirtatious way they sometimes communicate.
After standing in the sweltering heat in Zululand, we decided we couldn't wait for the honored guest speakers to approach the podium and left to head to the beach to enjoy some cool ocean water. We headed to the beach near our lodge and enjoyed some time tanning and bathing (well only Sami bathed, Gen does not like heavy waves or sharks!).
Once the wind started to pick up at the beach, we headed poolside at the lodge and enjoyed a relaxed evening and early bedtime (as usual!)
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