Marula festival in Eswatini The joyful and friendly tribe of Swaziland has preserved its rich culture and traditions. This is an important element of their daily lives, and colorful celebrations are held here every year to celebrate the traditions of Swaziland. The people of Swaziland (Eswatini) are connected by culture and values, and the Marula Festival, locally known as “Emaganwini”, is one of those beautiful traditions. During this festival, Swazis unite in singing and dancing, especially women who are brewers of marula beer. It’s about dancing and celebrating fruits that are used not only for beer, but also for various other purposes, such as skin care products. The Marula season begins each year in mid-February and lasts until May, bringing with you the marula fruit harvest festival. When the green fruits fall to the ground, women and children collect and store them until they reach a cream-yellow color. The fruit is then placed in water, sugar is added, followed by fermentation and distillation into beer. This strong alcoholic mixture is called buganu or marula beer. Eswatini Kingdom celebrates the start of the Marula season with the annual Marula festival. The festival is gaining popularity and is quickly becoming one of the most exciting traditional ceremonies in the country. Each year, King Mswati III and Her Majesty the Indlovukazi, Queen Mother, go to different regions of the Kingdom to celebrate the beginning of the Marula season.
