"Puberty Around the World"

ODD PUBERTY RITUALS

"Coming of age or reaching puberty is celebrated in many different ways around the world. In some cultures is a very important ritual marked by ceremonies while in other countries it is simply a birthday and the legal age for certain activities. Some of the countries that have distinct rituals also have very unusual rituals that are considered inhumane by some people and simply a part of life for other people."

* Paraguay and Brazil

In Paraguay and Brazil it is common for young girls who reach the age of puberty and have their first menstrual cycle to undergo tattooing. This is considered to be sexually attractive and not a form of pain. The girl is gouged with fish bone on the back, breast and stomach and then ashes are rubbed in the wounds to create a permanent tattoo. Although somewhat odd, this is the least painful and unusual of the rites of passage found around the word.

* Circumcision in many countries occurs shortly after birth; however, in some countries it is considered a coming of age rite that marks the young person’s movement from adolescence into adulthood. The ceremony is held for both young boys and girls who are judged to be ready for the rite. Although male circumcision is considered normal around the world, female circumcision or clitoridectomy is not the norm around the world some people consider cutting a female’s genitals to be inhumane and atrocious. Despite the controversy the circumcision of both boys and girls continues in many tribes around the world. However, female circumcision is becoming an option rather than an expectation in some tribes. Despite being an option many young girls choose to undergo this ritual to follow in the paths of her ancestors.

* Barabaig Culture of East Africa

Among the many different cultures of the world that have rites of passage for young men transitioning to adulthood are the Barabaig cattle herding tribe of East Africa. These people believe that shaving the boy’s heads and cutting them down to the bone from ear to ear in three deep horizontal cuts would make them into men. The resulting scar, called a ‘gar’, is a symbol of manhood and the boys who have it wear it with pride.




* Luiseno Indians
In the Luiseno Indian tribe young boys undergo a painful rite of passage but are not allowed to show their pain. Several painful ceremonial acts are required before the boy is recognized as a man by his tribe. The first of these is lying on a mound of ants for a period of time. The boy is not allowed to cry out or grimace in pain as his body is continually bitten by the ants. In a separate part of the ceremony boys are given tolocahe, a hallucinogenic drug that is supposed to help them see visions and become a man, if it didn’t kill them first.

 * Drunken-
With all the horrific acts being done to young people crossing over to adulthood it is good to look at lighter side of becoming adult that is the case in many other cultures. In many countries around the world a large majority of adolescents who reach adulthood spend their day of legal age imbibing in as many vices as they can legally do in order to show the world they are now adults. It might not be circumcision or a bed of ants, but the ensuing headache is usually one for the record books.

From tattoos to circumcision to drunken stupors rites of passage are common around the world. In some cultures these ceremonies or acts are little more than a fun time with friends and families meant to celebrate the legal coming of age; in other cultures the rites are serious and painful and meant to show the person has attained the maturity level to be an adult and handle the responsibilities that go with being an adult. In all cultures there is an unseen gap that one crosses from a child to an adult that is a time of great pride for the person crossing over.





Source: http://akorra.com/2010/10/10/top-10-odd-puberty-rituals/