Xhosa cultural customs, traditions, and etiquette vocabulary, one custom or term per card.
32 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Isiduko
- Clan name, the praised lineage identifying a family's ancestry
- Ulwaluko
- Traditional male initiation rite marking the passage to manhood
- Intonjane
- Traditional female initiation ceremony marking the passage to womanhood
- Ilobolo
- Bride wealth traditionally given by a groom's family to the bride's family
- Ukuhlonipha
- The custom of showing respect, especially by married women avoiding certain words linked to in-laws
- Umgidi
- A celebration feast held to welcome home a young man after initiation
- Amasi
- Traditional fermented milk, eaten daily and also served at ceremonies
- Umqombothi
- Traditional home-brewed sorghum beer used in ceremonies
- Inkaba
- The umbilical cord, traditionally buried at the family homestead to bond a child to their home
- Izinyanya
- Ancestral spirits believed to watch over and guide the living family
- Igqirha
- A traditional healer and diviner who communicates with the ancestors
- Umsamo
- The sacred area at the back of a traditional house associated with the ancestors
- Umbondo
- A ceremonial gift of food given by the bride's family after a wedding
- Iindwendwe
- Guests, who are treated with generous hospitality in Xhosa custom
- Ukuxhelwa kwenkomo
- The ritual slaughter of a cow for an important ceremony
FlashKeepers