Bira regasva

The Closing Rain Ritual

Bira regasva ndiwo mutambo wekupedzisira mukwerera, apo mombe inourayiwa senhapwa yemhondoro.

Tsananguro

Bira regasva ndiro zita rinopiwa mutambo unotevera mukwerera pakukumbira mvura. Hari dzedoro dzaiendeswa kunzvimbo tsvene dzakatungamirirwa namambo nesvikiro vachiimba. Chembere dzaitamba dzichirasa nhembe. Svikiro raiteketera kumidzimu rochera mukombe worasirwa pasi, varume vachirova gusvi, vakadzi vachipururudza, mbira dzichiridzwa. Doro raigoverwa kuvanhu vachipfachura kuti midzimu imwewo. Chipfuko chaisiyiwa pamuti kana mubako kuti mhondoro dzigouya dzomwa. Kana paine mhosva huru dzakaparwa bira risati ratambwa, vanhu vacho vairipiswa mombe kumambo, imwe ikaurayiwa vanhu vose vodya, bira rozotambwa.

In English

Bira regasva closed the rain-making ceremony with the ritual slaughter of a cow offered to the mhondoro spirit.

Bira regasva is the name given to the ritual that follows the mukwerera rain-asking ceremony. Pots of beer were carried to the sacred site, led by the chief and the spirit medium, singing as they went. Elderly women danced, tossing off their wraps. The medium would recite to the ancestral spirits, pour a cup of beer on the ground, while men beat the gusvi drum and women ululated, with mbira playing. Beer was shared among the people, who poured out a portion (kupfachura) so the ancestors could also drink. A cup was left at the tree or cave so the mhondoro spirits could come and drink. If serious offenses had been committed before the ritual could proceed, the offenders paid cattle fines to the chief; one animal was slaughtered and eaten by everyone before the ritual itself was performed.

Zvimwe zvechikamu ichi.

Mukwerera (Rain-Making Ceremony)As a religious rite, mukwerera petitioned the ancestors through mhondoro spirit mediums for rain, now in decline with Christianity's spread.Nzvimbo DzinoyeraThe Shona recognize a range of sacred sites tied to the ancestral spirits, including mountains, caves, and pools, which are regarded as places that must never be mocked or disturbed.

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