There are many long-established traditional ceremonies in Zambia and a ceremony of the Toka-Leya people in Zambia is described here. Its main purpose is to attract rain after a long dry season. Lwiindi means ‘thanksgiving for the harvests’. Zambia experiences a long dry season from April to October and at the end of the dry season the land is parched, rivers and lakes are drying up, and people and animals must travel long distances in search of water.

Living so close to Victoria Falls, the Toka-Leya understand the waterfall better than most and respect it as well. They have created a number of shrines for different purposes, including prayer and sacrifice, due to their belief that various spirits live around the falls area.

The area in which the Lwiindi ceremony takes place is very prone to drought, so this ceremony takes place just before the rains are normally expected every year to ensure its timely and much-needed arrival. Young men around seventeen years old under Chief Mukuni’s rule are expected to show that they are real men and ready for their marital responsibilities by engaging in this adventurous rain-inducing custom.

Days before the ritual local beer is brewed and visitors begin to flock to the village and excitement creeps in. On the day of the ceremony, traditional hymns are sung to the Toka-Leya ancestors, of whom the people believe that their chief, Chief Mukuni, is a living representative. The ceremony begins with a 25 mile walk from Mukuni Village to Victoria Falls. Upon arrival, the youths smear themselves with white clay from the river bed and do so to demonstrate their purity to the spirits. They also use fresh green leaves to complete the ritual costume.

Now the men must collect water from a sacred site deep within the gorge in what is known as the ‘boiling pot’ (due to its raging and tumultuous whirlpool below Victoria Falls). After this dangerous escape, the water is carefully brought to a water sanctuary on the way to Mukuni village and here they mimic the falling rain by pouring water on the roof of a sacred hut. The group of revered young men who have now proven their manhood and are ready for marriage return to the village where they meet the beautiful and eager young ladies of the village. Historically, girls would have taken this opportunity to choose the husband of their choice, but times have changed a bit!

Although to some the concept of rituals, ceremonies, costumes, and prayers to spirits may seem a bit far-fetched, witnesses to this ceremony will tell you that it always rains within an hour of these sacred rituals. It has been reported that even when the rest of Livingstone (the area surrounding Victoria Falls) is completely dry for months without rain, the vicinity of Toka-Leya where the Lwiindi ceremony took place is blessed with a refreshing and much-needed downpour. . .

This article is inspired by the book ‘Ceremony! Celebrating Zambia’s Cultural Heritage ‘. It is a fabulous and visually pleasing book that I encourage you to do. I got mine from ZAIN in Lusaka, Zambia. It is published by Celtel Zambia PLC and Seka. Original photograph, Francois d’Elbee. Coordinating author, Tamara Guhrs. Editor, Mulunga Kapwepwe. Contributing authors, Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, Prof Mapopa Mtonga, Mulenga Kapwepwe, Isaac Smogy Kapinga, Miranda Guhrs, Msatero Tembo, Matiya Ngalande, and Joseph Chikuta.

Zambia encourages people to witness its cultural ceremonies.