As we all know, America's Independence Day is July 4, and it commemorates when we, the people of the U.S.A., got independence from the British in 1776. Similarly, Lesotho was under British rule, but it did not receive independence until 1966. That makes this year Lesotho's 57th celebration of independence.
I learned about the traditional dance that Basotho (the people of Lesotho) perform and the clothes that they wear on special days. The clothes are called seshoeshoe (seh-shway-shway). Men wear a shirt and pants, and women wear dresses. These are all called seshoeshoe, no matter if it is worn by men or women. Women also wear a head scarf called a tuku (too-koo). Both men and women may also wear a traditional Basotho blanket, called a kobo (kuu-boh). Men and women may also wear straw hats with traditional dress, which you might notice in some of my pictures. On days like Independence Day, people gather to witness a traditional dance performed by women. This dance can be performed on holidays or at special ceremonies. For example, this dance was also performed when I became a Peace Corps Volunteer. Women wear leather tops and big fluffy skirts made of white feathers. To perform this dance, they kneel on the ground and then move their shoulders to drum beats.
