Venda husband and wife relationships explained in 4 cultural facts

Briefly.co.za took a look at four facts surrounding the cultural practices in the marriages of Venda men and women after a claim suggested the wives kneel before their husbands until they have finished eating.

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A photo was shared on social media, with the caption:

"Ladies Y'all can see what's happening here, ladies as a good house wife, can you you served your husband food and kneel down, then remain there until he finishes eating his food?"

When Briefly.co.za posted the photo on its Facebook page, the person who took the original photo, ‎Hlubikazi KaMendo, came forward to state that the question posed to readers is not entirely accurate.

In response, Briefly.co.za decided to look at the facts and traditions of the Venda culture, focusing on the marriage.

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1. Kneeling is a sign of respect

While doing research into the Venda culture, we found that one of the core principles in the culture is respect.

Women in Venda often kneel or lay down to show respect for their husbands, a practice called uLosha.

2. Wives only kneel when serving the food

Venda wives kneel when serving their husbands food but they do not remain in the kneeling position until he finishes his dinner.

One of our readers, Chissy Mapash, commented: "It's showing respect but what I know is we kneel when handing food, then get up afterwards - we don't wait for that person to finish eating."

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3. Kneeling is also done while cooking

According to an article by The Citizen, when Venda women cook on a fire, they must kneel instead of sitting on a chair or standing – depending on the size of the pot.

4. Kneeling is not limited to spouses

As stated in fact number one, Venda women not only kneel before their husbands as a sign of respect, they also do the practice before elders and the chief.

Here are more quick facts about the fascinating culture:

• The culture and traditions are rooted in the responsibilities of the royal leaders
• The royal leaders are mahosi or vhamusanda in the Luvenda language
• Women have to learn to do household chores such as sweeping washing and cooking and they are also tasked with picking vegetables and fetching wood
• Men are responsible for looking after livestock, building huts, grain pits and fences
• Young girls and Venda women also learn how to do crafts such as making mats, baskets and pottery

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Source: Briefly News