Tsonga widow's mourning rituals practices in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa: A ritual-liturgical exploration

This article studies the rituals and ceremonies that are practised by Tsonga widows at a village in Giyani in Limpopo. The research is based on the observation of the exclusion of widows from church attendance and activities in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPCSA). The study w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theologia Viatorum (Sorenga) Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
Main Authors: Khosa-Nkatini, Hundzukani P., Wepener, Casparus J., Meyer, Esias E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 01.01.2020
African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS
Subjects:
African
Christianity
church
culture
Death
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Husband
Mourning
Mourning customs
Period
Public opinion
Rites
Rites and ceremonies
Rites, ceremonies and celebrations
Ritual
Rituals
Tsonga
Widows
Women
South Africa
ISSN:0378-4142, 2664-2980
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Summary:This article studies the rituals and ceremonies that are practised by Tsonga widows at a village in Giyani in Limpopo. The research is based on the observation of the exclusion of widows from church attendance and activities in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPCSA). The study was conducted among Tsonga-speaking widows in the Tsonga community. The exclusion of widows is respected and understood by members of the church because they believe in respecting people's cultural and traditional beliefs. This article attempts to study the coniflct between Christianity and Tsonga mourning rituals and practices in the EPCSA. This is a qualitative study; however, literature is also included. Mourning rituals are presented and analysed to attempt to nfid ways in which practical theology can help the Tsonga widows in the EPCSA through liturgical inculturation as they undertake the mourning period. The authors recommend that a study on the effectiveness of mourning rituals for Tsonga widows would be fruitful for the EPCSA.
ISSN:0378-4142
2664-2980
DOI:10.4102/TV.v44i1.37