Johannesburg: The family of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela marked six months since his death on Sunday with a traditional cleansing ceremony at the family home in Qunu.
The ceremony closed the mourning period, according to Zindzi, Mandela`s daughter from his second marriage with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, while local television reported that revellers slaughtered sheep and quaffed home-brewed beer.
The ceremony also included the burning of the black mourning garb worn by her mother and Mandela`s third wife Graca Machel, Zindzi Mandela said in a statement.
South Africa`s first black president died on December 5 at the age of 95 after a long illness, prompting a global outpouring of grief.
After a lavish state funeral attended by world leaders and celebrities, Mandela was buried beside his children at the modest family compound in his childhood village of Qunu in South Africa`s Eastern Cape province.
The traditional mourning period normally lasts 12 months in South Africa.
