Unmarried women from Swaziland dance car

Unmarried women from Swaziland dance carrying bundles of reeds at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence near the capital, Mbabane, on August 28, 2011, during the traditional "Umhlanga" ceremony known as the annual Reed Dance. Day 6 of the Umhlanga is the penultimate day in the week of ceremonies and culminates in a mass dance before Swaziland's King Mswati III on August 29, 2011. The high point in the country's social life is meant to be a traditional display of virginity, yet Swaziland's annual "Reed Dance" turned into a hotbed of sexual activity. During the week of the "Reed Dance", girls from across Swaziland (some as young as ten) are expected to make a pilgrimage into the surrounding hills where they cut reeds they will present to the royal kraal. Few believe the king will choose them as his next bride when they eventually dance before him bare-breasted and in full, traditional regalia during the final ceremony. Meanwhile NGOs try to use the event to educate the girls about the dangers of HIV in the tiny, royal enclave that is battling the world's worst AIDS epidemic. AFP PHOTO / JINTY JACKSON. (Photo credit should read Jinty Jackson/AFP via Getty Images)