The Mwaka Kogwa Festival in Makunduchi (Zanzibar) is related to a new year celebration. It is celebrated in the month of July. It comes from an old Persian tradition (over 1000 years ago). The important part of the festival (as far as I understand)is that the people from two parts of the village of Makunduchi have a mock fight. The idea is that in this way they wipe out the frustrations and difficulties of the past year. The fight finishes by putting fire to a hut. Someone has to flee from the hut in a specific direction and the direction of the smoke tells something about the future, the new year.