Traditional Venda Attire

Venda traditional attire is designed to suit different cultural events and occasions, including birthdays, weddings and funerals. South Africa is, without a doubt, one of the African nations with a great cultural legacy.

From cuisine to dance to cultural customs and traditions, as well as fashion. Each cultural group has beautiful distinctive traditional clothing that distinguishes them from one another, from the Zulus to the Xhosas, Sepedi, and Tswana. Explore dresses below👇🏾


Origins of Venda Traditional Attire

Venda clothing was originally made from wild animal skin hunted, but with the aid of civilisation and modernity, this has change substantially.

Venda traditional attire is now created to fit a variety of situations while also being suited for different age groups.

venda traditional attire
Venda Traditional Attire

Traditional attire in Venda has not changed due to Western influence and modernity, but it is still rooted in the tribe’s rich history and cultural heritage.


Designers have incorporated the ancient Venda traditional attire style into contemporary Venda dress designs in order to do so.

Venda Traditional Attire Customs

Venda traditional clothing for women and men, such as beautiful, colorful, and unusual, is stunning. Even while there are various sorts of fabric worn on a daily basis, they all have rules to follow.

Women are expected to wear something different from what single women do. Married ladies, for example, will generally dress in a specific way. The male gender and attractive traditional attires for both males and females from Venda may also be said the same way.

Traditionally, Venda women wore a garment known as the tshirivha. The dress is composed of goatskin and covers only the back and front.

The ladies (married) wear a ceremonial rear apron called gwana on special occasions, which is also made of sheepskin, but today’s version is fashioned from Wenda cloth.


Young Venda women are well-known for wearing a style of clothing known as Maredo. The garment is made up of narrow strips hanging between the legs over a girdle in the front and back.

When girls begin to develop breasts, they wear a design known as Nwenda. It’s worn around the waist and one arm. The Badagas also wear the shedo or thuthu, which is a long apron that covers the pelvis, ankles, and wrists.

venda women wearing traditional clothes
Venda Women Wearing Traditional Clothes

Venda Traditional Dresses

The best thing about traditional Venda clothing is that it can be beautifully made and custom-tailored to suit any event. Be it a wedding, funeral or birthday celebration. Below you can explore an assortment of different Venda traditional dresses.

Classic Dresses

Below you’ll find pictures of an array of modern classy Venda traditional dresses. Many of which will contain a requisite level of beadwork, an integral part of Venda traditional attire.

lace venda traditional dress
Lace Venda Traditional Dress
venda ethnic dress
Venda Ethnic Dress
multicoloured venda dress
Purple Venda Traditional Attire
venda traditional dress
Venda Traditional Dress
venda traditional attire multicolour
Venda Traditional Attire in Multicolour
tshivenda traditional dresses
Tshivenda Traditional Dresses

Modern Venda Traditional Wedding Dresses

Below you’ll find an assortment of beautiful Venda wedding dresses. These wedding dresses can be worn in a variety of different occasions, from very formal weddings to more nonchalant ceremonies.

modern venda traditional wedding dresses
Modern Venda Traditional Wedding Dresses
venda traditional wedding dress
Venda Traditional Wedding Dress
venda couple in wedding attire
Venda Couple in Wedding Attire
yellow and blue venda couple
Venda Couple in Matching Yellow & Blue
venda married couple
Venda Married Couple
venda bridesmaids
Venda Bride and Bridesmaid

Venda Ethnography

Let’s explore the Zulu ethnography. This involves taking a deep dive into the people, culture and customs.

Venda History

Venda was a Bantustan located in northern South Africa, which lay adjacent to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, and shared a long boundary with Gazankulu to the south and east.

It is now a province of the Limpopo province. The South African government established Venda as a homeland for the Venda people, who speak the Venda language.

The United Nations and international community refused to recognize Venda (or any other Bantustan) as an independent country. On February 1, 1973, Venda was granted self-rule, and elections were held in the fall. In July 1978, further polls were held.

The South African government recognized the territory’s independence on 13 September 1979, and its inhabitants were declared stateless. The international community did not recognise its autonomy like the other Bantustans.


It was formerly far bigger, with a total land area of 6,807 km² (2628 sq. miles). In the 1984 elections, the Venda National Party retained its position as ruling party over the perennial opposition Venda Independent People’s Party (VIPP).

The population of Venda was around 200,000 people at the time of independence in 1979. The state was barricaded by a South African-patrolled border to the north and a boundary with neighboring Mozambique to the south by the Kruger National Park.

Patrick Mphephu was the first President of Venda and a Paramount Chief of the Vhavenda people, who was born and resided in Dzanani in Limpopo.

In 1990, the Council of National Unity took over from Frank Ravele following a military coup by the Venda Defence Force. The territory was governed by the Council of National Unity afterward. Venda’s return to South Africa was marked by a ceremony on April 27, 1994.

venda traditional ceremony
Venda Traditional Ceremony

Venda Language

It is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa’s Limpopo province. It is an official language of South Africa and is mostly spoken by the Venda people in the northern part of the country’s Limpopo province, as well as some Lemba people in South Africa.

The term “Venda” derives from a Bantu language spoken in both Botswana and Zimbabwe. The Venda-speaking region of South Africa was established as a bantustan during the apartheid era.

Venda speakers are mostly concentrated in the following municipalities: Makhado Local Municipality (350,000 people), Thulamela Local Municipality (370,000), Musina Local Municipality (35,000), and Mutale Local Municpality.

The total number of Venda speakers in South Africa sits at 1.2 million people or just 2.2% of South Africa’s population. Venda speakers are the second smallest minority language in South Africa, after the Ndebele language (1.1 million speakers).

Venda Customs

The Venda people of Limpopo province have their own customs and practices, which differ from those of other ethnic groups. While Venda belief focuses on ancestors, sprite creatures that must be nurtured are present.

Artists occupy a special place in their culture, as they are thought to have direct connections with the spirit realm. South Africa’s Venda people have a rich history, dating back to the ancient walled towns in Limpopo and Zimbabwe.


The Venda were among the last African people to move south of the Limpopo River. They discovered a rich region when they arrived in modern-day South Africa and named it Venda (pleasant place).

The history of the Venda people began in Limpopo’s valleys and mountains, where their ancestors built a magnificent civilization centered on Mapungubwe. Though they were governed by kings, Venda women occupy prominent roles in society, which is uncommon in Africa.

In the olden days, the Venda tribe placed a high value on children and the elderly. This is connected to Venda beliefs in ancestors, who are active participants in their daily routine.

Children are still in touch with their forefathers since they just arrived on the earthly plane. Because they will soon depart to the spiritual realm in death, the elderly are also near to the ancestors.

king of venda
King of Venda

Venda Folklore

The king in Venda folklore is revered as a living ancestor, which ensures his devotion and respect. He has his own language to add to the impression of his divinity.

There are several sacred sites in Limpopo where the Venda go to communicate with their ancestors. Lake Fundudzi, located in the Soutspansberg Mountains, is one of the most revered because it is thought to be home to the white python – the god of fertility – and other mystical water sprites (zwidutwane).

There are various rituals and customs associated with the Venda people’s relationship with the spirits of Lake Fundudzi. The Venda’s reputation as an artistically creative community distinguishes it from other groups in South Africa.

Artists are called by the spirit world through odd dreams and visions to accomplish their destinies, giving their work a supernatural energy that sets them apart from other people.

They are now on the same spiritual plane as a traditional healer since this puts them in the position of practicing medicine man.

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