Shona cultural customs, traditions, and etiquette vocabulary, one custom or term per card.
32 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Kuchema mazita
- The custom of greeting elders formally by praising their clan totem before speaking to them.
- Mutupo
- A clan totem, usually an animal, that identifies a family lineage and marriage rules.
- Roora
- The bride price paid by a groom's family to the bride's family as part of a traditional marriage.
- Kugamuchira vaeni
- The custom of warmly welcoming guests, usually by offering them water and food soon after they arrive.
- Kupfugama
- Kneeling, a traditional sign of respect used especially by women when greeting elders or serving food.
- Kuombera
- Clapping hands in a specific rhythm as a greeting or sign of respect and gratitude.
- Sadza nemuriwo
- The everyday staple meal of sadza served with a vegetable or meat relish, central to Shona daily life.
- Mbira
- A traditional thumb piano made of metal keys on a wooden soundboard, central to Shona spiritual and ceremonial music.
- Bira
- A traditional overnight ceremony with mbira music and dancing, held to communicate with ancestral spirits.
- Vadzimu
- Ancestral spirits believed to protect and guide the living family.
- Mhondoro
- A powerful ancestral lion spirit and its medium, historically consulted for guidance on major community matters.
- Kurova guva
- A ceremony held about a year after a death to bring the deceased's spirit back into the family as an ancestor.
- Chinamwari
- Traditional teachings once given to young women preparing for marriage and adult responsibilities.
- Kurambidza
- A cultural taboo or prohibition, often about food, behavior, or contact with certain relatives.
- Chisi
- A traditionally observed rest day when farming work is avoided out of respect for local custom.
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