Mwaka Kogwa

A four-day New Year celebration of Zoroastrian origin, held at the end of July.

The origins of Mwaka Kogwa are Zoroastrian — a Persian tradition older than Islam. The celebration includes huge bonfires and mock fights in which men defend themselves with banana stems in place of the sticks once used; everyone gets a chance to fight, and the ritual is said to let people air their grievances and clear the air for the new year. As the men fight, the women walk through the fields in their best clothes singing about life and love.

Festivities vary from village to village, but Makunduchi hosts the biggest.