Photo Credit: Pan African Alliance
Umtata Naming Ceremony
Among the Umtata people of the south eastern cape of South Africa, newborn babies are welcomed with a rite of passage known as “Sifudu.” During the Sifudu ceremony, the new born child who is usually just a few days old, is held with it’s head facing down and passed around a smoking fire lit in the middle of a room. The fire is made out of the leaves of the Sifudu tree and the burning leaves give off an especially pungent odor.
The Umtata believe that the ceremony ensures that the baby grows up to be a strong, healthy adult able to hold their own in society.
