Sunday, April 17, 2011

Harmar Cow Jumping

For the Harmar cow jumping is a rite of passage for men coming of age and must be done before the man is permitted to marry. The man-to-be must "jump the cattle" four times to be successful and only castrated males cattle can be used to jump over. This test is performed completely naked except for a few cords that are wrapped around their chest to symbolize the childhood he is about to leave behind him. On the completion of this test the young man joins the ranks of the other men who have recently passed the same test and for the next few months they supervise these same events in villages throughout the Harmar territory.

1 comment:

Leila Monaghan said...

Great ritual! Do you have a link you can share with us?