Celebrate in Zulu

Online pic: traditional dance which lifts up the leg and pounds it on the floor.

Celebrate is gida in Zulu, but a large part of it, is dancing. I wanted to say gida is dancing but that would be too restrictive. It might limit the imagination to line dancing, slow dancing or nightclub dancing.

Gi-da is celebrate because it is an outcome. Some party won the election and they celebrate. It involves food, drink and dancing. It’s the whole package.

Gi-da in Zulu comes from the form of traditional dancing called ukugida. Men lift up their legs and there’s a hard sound when they plant them on the ground. In the olden days, people dressed up in their finery to attend special celebrations. The highlight was when men demonstrated their artistry in ukugida.

Celebrations differ from culture to culture obviously and they all involve dancing. It could be weddings, graduations, birthdays, national holidays, religious ceremonies etc.

Gi-da. You say the first part like gild, the second like dove.

U-ku-gi-da (dancing). You say the first part like uber, the second like kudu, the third like give, the fourth like dove.

Um-gi-do is the whole celebration, sometimes called by kings. You say the first part like ooomph! The second like give and the last like door.

ZULU	ENGLISH
Baya gida bawine ukhetho.	They are celebrating. They won the election.
Sagida kwaze kwasa.	We celebrated till dawn.
Sizo gida emshadweni.	We will dance at the wedding.
Baya gida bajabulile.	They’re dancing. They’re happy.
Gida si-bone.	Dance. Show us.
Angikwazi u-ku-gida.	I don’t know how to dance.
U-Dave aka kwazi u-ku-gi-da.	Dave doesn’t know how to dance.
Kuno mgido komkhulu.	There’s a big celebration at the palace.
Ziya gida izinsizwa.	Guys are dancing.
U-Themba igagu. U-gida kahle.	Themba dances very well.

 

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.