Category Archives: Adulthood

Coming-of-age, courtship, marriage, weddings

South Sudanese Dinka Face Sacrifice Ritual

Text:

Among the Dinka people of South Sudan, young men traditionally undergo forehead scarification as a rite of passage into adulthood. This practice involves making six to eight deep, V-shaped cuts across the forehead using a sharp blade or razor, often performed without the use of anesthetic. The process is public, ceremonial, and witnessed by members of the community. The scars, once healed, form a permanent pattern that serves as a visible marker of the transition from boyhood to manhood. Boys who complete the ritual are celebrated and granted new social responsibilities and recognition.

Context:

This was shared with me by a friend from South Sudan whose grandfather underwent the ritual. She described the ceremony as both terrifying and honorable. She explained that although the ritual is extremely painful and intimidating, it is considered a great honor. For her granfather, it was the defining moment that earned him respect not only within their village but also within the family. The ceremony took place in front of elders, friends, and family members, and afterward, he was given new privileges, including a say in village matters and the right to marry.

Interpretation:

This tradition shows how the Dinka people value strength, bravery, and community. The scars are not just about appearance, they tell a story of growing up and earning respect. Going through pain is seen as a way to prove you are ready for adult life. Today, fewer Dinka boys go through the ritual, especially those who move away from South Sudan. This shows how culture can change over time, especially when people live in new places. Still, the meaning behind the ritual stays strong for many families.

“For beauty, you must suffer.”

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Text:
When A was in high school and had pimples, her mother would pop them for her. Whenever A complained that it hurt, her mother would respond, “For beauty, you must suffer.”

Context:
The informant, A, recalls hearing this phrase frequently from her mother, especially during moments involving personal grooming that were physically uncomfortable, like popping pimples or plucking eyebrows. While A understood that her mother meant it lightheartedly, it also reflected a deeper, often unspoken expectation around beauty standards. A noted that this phrase extended beyond skincare. For example, her mother would say it when discussing the discomfort of wearing heels or shapewear like Spanx.

Analysis:
This phrase highlights how societal beauty standards, specifcally for women, are often tied to discomfort or even pain. The expectation is that beauty requires sacrifice, whether it’s enduring physical discomfort or investing significant time and effort. It reinforces the idea that beauty is an achievement rather than an inherent trait, one that must be worked for and maintained. The fact that the phrase was passed down from mother to daughter goes to show how these standards are often perpetuated within families, sometimes without conscious reflection. Ultimately, the saying reflects a broader cultural narrative about the price of fitting into conventional ideals of beauty.

Karwa Chauth

AGE: 21

DATE OF PERFORMANCE: 4/19/25

LANGUAGE: English 

NATIONALITY: Canadian 

OCCUPATION: Student 

PRIMARY LANGUAGE: English 

RESIDENCE: Westlake Village 

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Interviewer: Are there any distinct festivals or rituals you grew up around or attending when you were growing up? Are there any now?

SA: “Another ritual I witnessed growing up is Karwa Chauth, a day when women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their partner’s health and longevity.”

Context

[SA provides more context on what happens during Karwa Chauth]

“…the fast is broken by sighting the moon, pouring water from a traditional bronze cup, and doing a symbolic prayer ceremony that includes the elements–something that’s very common in Hinduism. Some husbands fast with their wives, and some women wake up before sunrise to have a small meal.”

Interpretation

As SA also said in her interview, this ritual is such a beautiful representation of devotion and love. It makes me wonder if this would also be a part of a wedding ritual or if this is strictly for married women? Upon some light basic research, this ritual came about also from a folktale about two lovers. I think it’s beautiful how in every culture or every community, there is always a folktale surrounded around lovers. There has always been this obsession and interest in the idea of love since the dawn of time! There also shows significance of the moon and the sun in this ritual as well, another huge aspect of Hinduism and of Asian cultures as a whole. Additionally, Hinduism revolves around the solar/lunar calendar.

Wedding Soup Noodles

AGE: 21

DATE OF PERFORMANCE: 4/19/25

LANGUAGE: English, Chinese

NATIONALITY: American, Taiwanese 

OCCUPATION: Student

PRIMARY LANGUAGE: English 

RESIDENCE: Los Angeles 

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Interviewer: What’s a tradition that you and your family have done during the holidays or certain celebrations? This can include holidays, birthdays, weddings, funerals, etc.

AC: “Weddings are huge in my family, so the day of the wedding there’s this thing called wedding soup noodles. It’s like sweet/sour soup and mushrooms and seafood in a thicker soup. Noodles are also thicker. Also the bride still wears white!”

Context

AC and her nuclear family are the only ones from the rest of their family that is currently in America. The rest of her family (her extended family basically) all still live and reside in Taiwan.

Interpretation

I had never really heard of wedding soup noodles before, so this was definitely really interesting to hear about another tradition in Asian culture. Although, I think if I was to ask my family there would probably be a lot of wedding traditions also in Korean culture. The wedding traditions I know of are more ritualistic and concerned with what you wear. But, after some quick research, noodle soup is also a thing in Korean wedding culture! A lot of traditions overlap across Asian cultures, so it makes sense that there also includes “wedding soup” in Korean weddings as well. I’m not sure if I’ve ever ate these wedding noodles since my family leans more on the Americanized side and I honestly cannot remember the last time I went to a wedding.

Beach Bonfires/Senior Sunrise and Sunset

Age: 21

1. Senior Sunrise and Sunset (ft. a bonfire) to mark the beginning and end of the final year of high school. 

2. Growing up in Huntington Beach, this participant went through a special tradition in high school, called the senior sunrise and senior sunset. When the participant first “officially” became a senior (that is, the weekend right before school started for the year, he explained), he and his graduating class drove down to the beach and lit a giant bonfire and waited for the sun to rise so they could all watch it together. Then, at the very end of the year, right before graduation, the class all drove down to the same spot, lit a bonfire, and watched the sunset together. At the very end of the year, during the sunset trip, some kids brought all of the school work they had done throughout the year and burned it in the large fire pit they had going. The participant explained that he thought this ritual – done every year by the graduating seniors at his high school – was supposed to be symbolic of how special the year was supposed to be for them, and how at the end of it, it was almost as if the sunset was not only concluding the day, but their year as seniors and time together. 

3. Interviewer’s Interpretation: Upon hearing this ritual from the participant, I believe that I agree with his interpretation. The sun – often used as a representation of the life cycle of something – is used here as a symbol for their time at high school, and the experience of the bonfire retreat was obviously meant to unite them all in this feeling of great achievement – unifying them in their shared accomplishment of making it to the end of high school. The bonfire itself I think is also symbolic, especially at the sunset event where kids would burn their old homework. If we are to consider fire in its traditional symbolic sense as a way of cleansing, I would argue that the graduating seniors were, in a sense, cleansing themselves not only from their past work but also from their former selves. Leaving high school, they enter a transitional period in which they’re meant to go on and become adults; as such I think it could be seen that the bonfire is also meant to represent their cleansing or rebirth of themselves – no longer children.