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Xhosa Heritage - African Traditional Religion
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The "Holy meal" (umoshwamo) which takes place on the day of the "falling of the beast", is termed "iyeza (medicine)", which symbolically shows that it has a healing effect. "Falling of the beast" means the day the animal is killed which is also the day where the climax is reached when the clan communicates with the ancestors. During umoshwamo all the blood related members in the clan, both males and females, participate. These blood relatives are called inside the kraal where the intsonyama or special meat is roasted without salt. Each member is given a piece of roasted meat and a sip of African beer (umqombothi or utywal besitu) by one of the clan elderly chosen for that job. The roasted meat is not put on plates but on branches of some special plants that are not used on a daily basis. Some families for instance use umthathi (sneeze wood) as a special plant and the ritual cannot take place without umthathi, otherwise it would not be complete.Umoshwamo is given after some sacred words are said to the ancestors by the elderly. During ukushwama the kraal becomes an altar, and is spiritually charged with sacredness. The branches on which the meat is put, and the sip of umqombothi symbolise the earthy life and the relationship with the living; the consecrated meat is the visible sign of the invisible spiritual world governing life upon the earth.
Umoshwamo marks the climax of all rituals, it shows how successfull and accepted the ritual is. The other meat is used as food for those who attended the ritual. Neighbours and friends who have come to share the ritual with the clan are also intertained. A ritual ends with the burning of all bones of the sacrificial animal.Adapted from "African Traditional Religion: An introduction for beginners" - by Nokuzola Mndende, Icamagu Institute
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