Different African societies have intriguing traditions, cultures, and rituals that are fascinating to learn about. From the Wodaabe tribe who dance their way to marriage, the breast-feeding dads from the Aka Pgymy tribe (yes, you read that right) to the drinking of cattle blood by the Maasai, the list is endless!
Tribes across the African continent have different rituals when it comes to death. The difference lies in how each tribe prepares the deceased to crossover into the ancestral realm. Today, we want to talk about the unique festival of the dead of the Chewa tribe. I can promise you it is probably not what you expect!
Before we dive into the festival, let me introduce the Chewa community briefly. The Chewa are a Bantu-speaking people found in southern Africa. They live predominantly in Malawi but also Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. One interesting fact about the Chewa is that they are a matriarchal society. They speak a language known as Chichewa. The Chewa people are renowned for their masks and secret societies called Nyau. We hope that gives you a better understanding of the Chewa people. Let's dive into their view of death and festival, shall we?
How the Chewa People View Death
It's fascinating that even after all these years, death is still a bit of an enigma to the Chewa community: something they are still not used to. Years ago, if someone aged 5 to 65 bit the dust, it was like stepping into a whole maze of issues. You see, the Chewa people at the time had this cultural belief that dying before hitting 65 was unusual unless it was related to an old age disease.
That was not the only belief they held about death. If a woman, unfortunately, experienced a stillbirth, the village elders would get wary and suspicious. They believed it was a sign that the husband was having an extramarital affair(s) while his wife was pregnant, hence the stillbirth. The elders also held on to the belief that if a mother died during childbirth, it was also a sign that the husband was conducting extramarital affairs while his wife was pregnant.
Death was neither a casual topic nor taken as a natural part of life in Chewa society. They had this rock-solid belief that people didn't just vanish into thin air for no reason. Now that we have understood a bit about how the Chewa community perceived death: let us get into the festival of death.
The Chewa Festival of the Dead
Historians unveil a unique custom that was once a part of the Chewa tribe's rituals when a member passed away. The designated Chewa people would move the deceased's body to a sacred site/ground. The throat of the deceased was then cut water was poured through the aperture, and then squeezed down the stomach until it flowed out through the anus. This process was repeated until the water emerged clear. This ritual served the purpose of purification which symbolized the cleansing of the deceased's wrongdoings. Once the water was clear, the water was collected and turned into a communal meal for the tribe. Ironically, this practice inadvertently facilitated the spread of infections and diseases within the Chewa community.
That is not all! The entire village had to attend the funeral. As we mentioned earlier: death wasn't just a natural part of life here; it was often attributed to witchcraft. The belief was that anyone involved in death would be reluctant to attend the funeral, a protective mechanism. As a result, it prompted the entire village to gather as a precaution.
Yet, beyond the veil of mourning, Chewa funerals held a unique role as a time of connection, where social bonds were forged over shared meals and drinks.
And there you have it – the Chewa tribe's unique dance with death, a tapestry woven with beliefs and practices that might just leave your eyebrows raised. From that eerie throat-cutting ritual to the unexpected twist of using "purified" water in meals, these customs pull back the curtain on a world where death isn't just an event, but a journey intertwined with the living. When the entire village turns up for a funeral, it's not just a somber affair; it's a shield against forces they believe are brewing in the shadows.
So, now I'm curious – what do you make of this festival of the dead? Do you find it fascinating, bizarre, or maybe a mix of both? These traditions give us a glimpse into a vibrant cultural universe where life, death, and the in-between collide, revealing a people's profound attempt to navigate the mysteries of mortality.
References:
https://hadithi.africa/the-chewas-festival-for-the-dead/
https://beingafrican.com/chewa-deaths-and-funerals/
https://lughayangu.com/post/the-chewa-festival-of-the-dead
