Keeping the spirit of Nelson Mandela at peace will be of paramount importance for the elders of his tribe, keen to ensure traditions are adhered to as he is buried at his boyhood home of Qunu on Sunday.
Mda Mda, 90, a professor and expert on Xhosa tradition and history, said ancestors were still sacrosanct in the culture, even though it has adopted many Western and Christian ways.
"In the past 150 years, the Xhosas have adopted many Christian customs around funerals," Mda said.
"It has been found to be a very dignified way of being buried. But the ancestors have remained a
central part of the culture."
Mathew Maphalwa, an adviser to Mandela's AbaThembu clan - a subgroup within the Xhosa people - said it was important that rituals were performed before the burial to keep the ancestors at peace.
"A person's soul needs to be at rest before the burial," he said.
"If we don't do this, the spirit will be restless and will bring misfortune to the family." Pleasing the ancestor would smooth the path towards the creator and ensure good fortune would come to the family, Maphalwa explained.
Mandela is set to be buried before high noon, adhering to traditions for a man of Mandela's stature, explained the master of ceremonies at the funeral, Cyril Ramaphosa, the African National Congress deputy president.
"The person is meant to be laid to rest when the sun is at its highest and shadow is at its shortest," he said.
It is important a high-ranking member of the clan always accompanies the remains, to inform the spirit about what is happening around them.
During the lying-in-state in Pretoria, Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela kept a close vigil over the body.
In the old traditions, a man of Mandela's stature would be buried sitting upright with a sheep skin blanket and an assegai, a form of a spear.
Mandela will be buried in a coffin, Western style, though the body will be covered by a traditional blanket.
Maphalwa said the Thembu people seldom used herbs and traditional medicines in guiding a spirit to its rest, but this might happen in larger funerals, such as that of a king.
He said songs of praise were sung throughout the ceremony, in which the ancestors of the deceased were mentioned.
Once the deceased is buried, it is important that men of the clan guard the grave to protect it from evil spirits. Any movement of the bones, or other changes that disrupt the unity of the spirit and mortal remains, brings "terrible luck."
Maphalwa said it was important that no animal be slaughtered and no celebration took place while the ancestor was finding peace.
Mourning usually ends after about six months with the slaughtering of an ox and a feast.
In Thembu culture, cattle should only be slaughtered by an elder with a traditional spear.
