Blessing Popular Zulu Name

This blog also carries Zulu lessons from time to time. It’s a language whose umbilical cord is buried Kwa-Zulu, the land of amaZulu.

A blessing is thamsanqa in Zulu. Blessing is a popular name for boys in most languages. In Zulu, it’s for both boys and girls because kids are regarded as a blessing. Because you are a Zulu student, we’ll ignore the last part of thamsanqa. It’s too early to attempt clicks.

Boys: their name is Thamsanqa the blessed one, but everybody calls them Thami. How do I pronounce Tha-mi? You say the first part like tally and the second part like milk.

Girls: their name is Nomathamsanqa, but everybody calls them Thami, same pronunciation as the boys. How do I know it’s a girl’s name? It has no- in the beginning, like my name Nonqaba.

The blessing in Zulu culture extends beyond naming kids. It’s customs that solicit blessing from the ancestors like pouring a drop of Zulu beer on the ground because ancestors are also thirsty. Remember, they used to drink it when they were still alive.

Scottish drinks and foreign beer is what people will drink this Christmas season and they will joke about the custom. ‘Don’t waste this expensive drink on ancestors.’ They laugh and still do libation: pour a drop of beer, whisky or wine on the ground.

They want blessings ama-thamsanqa.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.