The Marula season begins each year in mid February and continues until May, bringing with it a celebration of the harvest of the marula fruit. Once the green fruits fall to the ground, women and children gather and store them until they ripen to a creamy yellow colour.The fruits are then placed into water, sugar is added and it is fermented,and distilled into a beer.
This potent alcoholic mixture is called it buganu, or marula beer.

Some say that unlike most alcoholic beverages, bugano stimulates sexual urges to the degree that it is considered dangerous for men and women to drink it together if they wish to avoid adultery breaking out. In men it also said to bring an uncontrollable urge to eat meat, and livestock thefts increase significantly during marula season.

The kingdon of Swaziland celebrates the start of the Marula season with the annual Marula festival.The festival is increasing in popularity, and swiftly becoming one of the country's most exciting traditional ceremonies. Each year King Mswati III and Her Majesty the Indlovukazi the Queen Mother make their way to various regions of the Kingdom to celebrate the beginning of the Marula Season.

The largest of these festivals is held at the royal residence at Ebuhleni where the royal family join the nation in song and dance. Although the Marula Fruit is found widely throughout Africa, it is most popular in Swaziland. Seen by the Swazi nation as much more than a food source, the Marula is rather regarded as a magical healing ingredient, with huge fertility properties.The King and Queen mother are presented with Marula gifts and some Marula beer from each household. Only after the royal family has had some of the beer, are the rest permitted to join in and drink as well.