Masithethe isintu

Xhosa Calendar.
The Xhosa months of the year are poetically named after stars and seasonal plants of Southern Africa. The Xhosa year traditionally began in June and ended in May, when Canopus, the brightest star visible in the Southern Hemisphere, signalled the time for harvesting. In urban areas today, anglicised versions of the months are used, especially by the younger generation. But in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape – the old names still stand.

Unyaka wesiXhosa ngokwesiko wawuqala ngoJuni uze uphele ngoMeyi, xa iCanopus, eyona nkwenkwezi iqaqambileyo ibonakala kuMazantsi eHemisphere, yabonisa ixesha lokuvuna. Kwiindawo zasezidolophini namhlanje, iinguqulelo ze-anglicised zeenyanga zisetyenziswa, ngakumbi kwisizukulwana esincinci. Kodwa ezilalini zaseMpuma Koloni – amagama amadala asamile

January - EyoMqungu (month of the Tambuki Grass)
February - EyoMdumba (month of the swelling grain)
March - EyoKwindla (month of the first fruits)
April - uTshaz'iimpuzi (month of the withering pumpkins)
May - uCanzibe (month of Canopus)
June - EyeSilimela (month of the Pleiades)
July - EyeKhala (month of the aloes)
August - EyeThupha (month of the buds)
September - EyoMsintsi (month of the coast coral tree)

The indigenous Xhosa name for September is “inyanga yomSintsi”, or “eyomSintsi”, which means “month of the coast coral tree (Erythrina caffra)”. This is the month when the coast coral tree is in full bloom, with its bright orange blossoms, and it is also the sowing time for sorghum and maize.

October - EyeDwarha (month of the tall yellow daisies)
November - EyeNkanga (month of the small yellow daisies)
December - EyoMnga - (month of the acacia thorn tree)

Ubuntu meaning humanity towards others.
Humanity plays a prominent role in African culture. It is therefore not enough to merely say "Molo"! You should also take time to enquire about the other person's well being.
"Unjani"?

In Xhosa the greeting always stays the same wether it is morning,noon or night

Amandla!!!

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The xhosa months of the year are poetically named after stars and seasonal plants of Southern Africa

Xhosa "C" clicking words

Chasa - support or agree

Cacisa - Clarify

Chopha - sit

Cala - Side

Cinga - Think

Cela - Ask

Xhosa " X" clicking words

Xhaphaza - abuse

Xhasa - Support

Xhesha - Rush

Xolela - Forgive

Xesha - time

Xenikweni - When

Xa - When

X**a - if

Xhosa "Q" Clicking Words

Qumba - get angry

Qhuba - Drive

Qhanqalaza - Protest

Qhoqhoqho - Throat or frequently

Qhekeza - Brake In

Qhaka - light

Qhatha - Cheat

Qeqesha - Teach or Coach

Qha - just

Qwaba - just like that(e.g qha qwaba)

Qhela - Adjust or becomes familiar with

Xhosa is a Nguni Bantu language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, and Northern Cape.

Xhosa is, to some extent, mutually intelligible with Zulu and Northern Ndebele, and other Nguni languages to a lesser extent. Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger group of Bantu languages.

Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. Tones are rarely marked in the written language, but they can be indicated a [à], á [á], â [áà], ä [àá]. Long vowels are phonemic but are usually not written except for â and ä, which are each sequence of two vowels with different tones that are realized as long vowels with contour tones (â high–low = falling, ä low–high = rising).

Today
Namhlanje

Woman-related cultural terms:
1. Intombi: an unmarried female
2. Inkazana: an unmarried female with children
3. Injangaza/Idikazi: a female divorcé
4. Ujingxi: An old woman that never got married
5. Umtsaliminqayi: a girl that has reached puberty
6. Izibazana: a mother of a boy that is going to the mountain to be a man
7. Isithembu: women married to the same man
8. Umtshakazi: bride
9. Umhlolokazi: widow
10. intombazana: a young girl

The Xhosa language is properly referred to as isiXhosa . The Xhosa people are properly referred to AmaXhosa.

It is a Bantu language closely related to Zulu, Swazi, and Ndebele. As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. The language is also rich in idioms. To have isandla esishushu (a warm hand), for example, is to be generous.

Xhosa contains many words with click consonants that have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. The "X" in Xhosa represents a type of click made by the tongue on the side of the mouth. This consonant sounds something like the clicking sound English-speaking horseback riders make to encourage their horses. English speakers who have not mastered clicks often pronounce Xhosa as "Ko-Sa."

Names in Xhosa often express the values or opinions of the community. Common personal names include Thamsanqa (good fortune) and Nomsa (mother of kindness). Adults are often referred to by their isiduko (clan or lineage) names. In the case of women, clan names are preceded by a prefix meaning "mother of." A woman of the Thembu clan might be called MamThembu . Women are also named by reference to their children; Maka Lindiwe is a polite name for Lindiwe's mother.