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The Xhosa culture has a traditional dress code informed by the individuals social standing portraying different stages of life. The 'red blanket people' (Xhosa people) have a custom of wearing red blankets dyed with red ochre, the intensity of the colour varying from tribe to tribe. Other clothing includes beadwork and printed fabrics.
Ugali—maize porridge in South Africa, traditional porridge/polenta and a staple food of the African peoples; Umngqusho—a dish made from white maize and sugar beans, a staple food for the Xhosa people. Umphokoqo—an African salad made of maize meal. [16] Umvubo—sour milk mixed with dry pap, commonly eaten by the Xhosa.
Ulwaluko, traditional circumcision and initiation from childhood to adulthood, is an ancient initiation rite practised (though not exclusively) by the Xhosa people, and is commonly practised throughout South Africa. The ritual is traditionally intended as a teaching institution, to prepare young males for the responsibilities of manhood. [1]
Umngqusho is a South African dish based on samp and sugar beans, usually served with hard body chicken which is called umleqwa in isiXhosa.Traditionally a Xhosa staple meal, it has been adopted by other tribes in South Africa as their staple meal as well.
The name of these traditional garments is umbhaco, while their cousins, the Zulus, wear animal hide (men) and colourful clothing and beads (women). They usually paint themselves prior to performing. Umxhentso is mostly performed in the Transkei homeland in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa where the tradition is still valued.
Umqombothi is used to celebrate the homecoming of young men, known as abakwetha in Xhosa culture, after ulwaluko - initiation and religious male circumcision.. This beer plays a significant role when someone contacts their ancestors, the amadlozi, and plays a central role in the social context, and so is often used during customary weddings, funerals, and imbizos (traditional meetings).
Amasi (in Ndebele, Zulu and Xhosa), emasi (in Swazi), maas (in Afrikaans), or mafi (in Sesotho), is a thick curdled sour fermented milk product that is sometimes compared to cottage cheese or plain yogurt but has a much stronger flavor. A staple food in pre-colonial times, it is now a popular snack in South Africa and Lesotho.
Shweshwe is traditionally used to make dresses, skirts, aprons and wraparound clothing. Shweshwe clothing is traditionally worn by newly married Xhosa women, known as makoti, and married Sotho women. [9] [10] [14] [15] Xhosa women have also incorporated the fabric into their traditional ochre-coloured blanket clothing.