REFERENCES: and-jim/ SOME OF SOUTH AFRICA’S UNIQUE CULTURES DONE BY: EVA KATLEGO PILUSA

Q: Discuss the uniqueness of your culture In South Africa we have many different cultures that people follow and all of them are unique. Some people are: Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Pedi and Swati. All these cultures have different languages and costumes and are found in different parts of South Africa. I am a Pedi, so I follow the Pedi culture. Pedi people are mostly found in the Limpopo province, which is one of the nine provinces in South Africa. Q: Culturally speaking, how is marriage constructed and what is the age range of marriage? If a man wants to marry a woman, that man will speak to his family. Then the man’s family will go and speak with the girl’s parents. Usually, the girl’s uncles will be present and the two families will discuss Lobola. That includes the amount of money the girl’s family wants the man’s family to pay before getting married. If they do come to an agreement, the wedding will take place. Nowadays people can choose to have any kind of wedding they want to have. Some people choose to have a traditional wedding and some a white(western style) wedding or even both. When it comes to the age range, in South Africa, it is illegal to get married when you are under 1 8. Traditional Wedding White Wedding Pedi girl

Q: Traditional dress code and its importance Traditional Pedi clothes are very colourful. The women wear strings of glass beads with bracelets and grass ankle rings. Boys traditionally wear loincloths or shorts. Their hair is cut short. Pedi girls wear a forked loincloth at the back and in front a short apron made from string, reddened with ochre stone, or one made from twisted grass. Hair is worn in small curls. Certain clothes were worn for certain occasions. Presently, the Pedi wear a combination of Western and traditional clothes. Pedi boys and girls PEDI WOMEN Modern version of the traditional clothes

Q: How do people address the elders? A Pedi child is taught from a young age to respect the elders. When greeting, young Pedi girls go down on their knees to show respect. When talking to the elders, no eye contact is to be made because that is seen as disrespecting an older person. When there are visitors, a Pedi child should greet everyone then excuse him or herself from the room because children are not wanted where there are adults talking. In all of the cultures found in South Africa, respect is extremely important. Q: Does your culture permit religious tolerance? What about inter- religious marriages? From what I know about my culture, it does allow inter- religious marriages. The culture does not restrict anyone from marrying someone from different religions because not all Pedi people follow the same religion. Traditional dress of a man of importance