Hosting Transcendence in Immanence | Van Braak 155 Liturgical Inculturation for Tsonga Widows’ Mourning Rituals * Hundzukani Portia Khosa-Nkatini 1 Introduction This study on Tsonga widows’ mourning rituals was done in a village in Giyani, Limpopo. The research was based on the observation of the exclusion of widows from church attendance and activities in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPCSA). The study was conducted among Tsonga- speaking widows in the Tsonga community. The exclusion of widows is respected and understood by members of the church, because they believe in respecting people’s cultural and traditional beliefs. The study attempted to examine the confict between Christianity and Tsonga mourning rituals and practices in the EPCSA. This was a qualitative study; however, a literature review was also included. Mourning rituals were presented and analyzed in an to attempt to fnd ways in which practical theology can help the Tsonga widows in the EPCSA through liturgical inculturation as they undergo the mourning period. The study consisted of data on mourning rituals collected from six individual widows and a focus group consisting of seven widows. The collected data was analyzed and inter- preted to study the confict between cultural practices regarding death and mourning and Christianity in the EPCSA. According to Tsonga cultural tradition, the rituals designed for Tsonga widows are not meant to harm widows or women but rather to protect them. Mourning ritual practices are common in most African cultures. These widowhood practices vary widely in diferent countries and among dif- ferent tribes. Currently, there is a liturgical hiatus concerning rituals of mourning for widows in the EPCSA in Tsonga culture: that is, the EPCSA has not yet produced any guidelines on how these rituals interact with EPCSA liturgical practices. It is believed that most widows who partake in such rituals are com- pelled to earn the respect of their in-laws and the community and to be accepted by the ancestors of the family. Difering views among scholars continue to contribute to the confict between Christianity and African ritual practices. 2 Methodology The research methodology involved both a study of literature and qualitative empirical work in the form of interviews of individuals and a focus group comprised of Tsonga widows. This qualitative re- * The thesis was accepted by the Faculty of Theology & Religion, University of Pretoria, Hatfeld, South Africa. Supervisor: prof. dr. Cas Wepener. Co-supervisor: prof. dr. Esias Meyer. E-mail: hundzukhosa@gmail.com. IRiLiS / CRH Yearbook for Ritual and Liturgical Studies Vol. 36 (2020) 155–162 • https://doi.org/10.21827/YRLS.36.155-162