Comparison and Analyzation of Rites of Passage

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah and the Aranda Intiation Ceremonies have different focal points:  the purpose of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is to prepare a boy for religious adulthood in his culture whereas the purpose of the Aranda Ceremonies are to create bonds and kinship alliances.

Both cultures experience the stages of rites of passage although they may not be as obvious as other cultures.  For the Bar/Bat Mitzvah of the Jewish culture, the boy is not separated by walls and isolation but through his studies--he has to spend a huge amount of his time with the Rabbi of his synagogue.  He does not undergo an official separation but he is differentiated from his community as a bar mitzvah.  For the Aranda, separation occurs first with the circumcision process and continues as the Parra Ceremony occurs, separating the boy from the rest of his community temporarily.

The transition period occurs in the Jewish culture as the bar or bat mitzvah is trained to read from Torah and in Judaism.  They are given the expectations of a religious adult and prepped for what being an adult in the religious realm of the culture entails.  The Aranda go through a transition as the boy bonds with the elder.

The Jewish rite of passage reincorporates the bar or bat mitzvah into society after their ceremony through the party.  This usually involves a feast, music, and dancing.  The Aranda conclude their ceremonies with the Tossing Ceremony where the boy is tossed, caught by his male relatives, and considered a man.

Both cultures practice the rites as a way to maintain their group cohesion and keep their communities together while continuing their traditions.  The rites are very entertaining for the culture as well.  The Jewish culture concludes with a party full of entertainment.  The Aranda conclude with tossing the boy in the air which provides entertainment for them.

What do these ceremonies tell me about the cultures?  First and foremost, the Bar or Bat Mitzvah tells me that the culture puts severe importance on the Torah and readings from it.  The norms include following the religious rules and regulations that have been in place for several years.  The values of this culture also focus on religion.  This culture places value on reading from the Torah and being an important member of the religious community--carrying the Tefillin while serving God.  The beliefs or worldview accept and believe that there is a God.  They consider the Torah a sacred text and regard it very highly.

The Aranda culture teaches me that the norms may include really close kinship among same sexes.  There may potentially be norms that encourage the men to be closer than the Western culture's norms allow--this can be a physical closeness, an intimate closeness, or a spiritual closeness.  Also, because this is focused on males, I can suspect a norm to be the practice of sex stratification in this culture.  The culture values kinship and bonding of kin.  Their worldview sees the mutilation of the male penis as a technique for bonding and getting close to other members of the community.

Rites of Passage: Aranda Tribe of Australia

At the age of twelve, boys in the Aranda tribe go through a Ceremony of Circumcision six weeks prior to what is called the Tossing Ceremony.  The Ceremony of Circumcision involves the circumcision of the boy.  Following his circumcision is another ceremony called the Parra Ceremony of Subincision.  The Parra Ceremony of Subincision a body modification where the uretha is sliced lengthwise from the urethral opening towards the base of the penis.  With this ceremony the men rub their blood on one another.  They follow with the Kuntamara Ceremony that requires a reopening of the subincision.  This is done by an elder with a stone that creates a bonding of kinship.  The Tossing Ceremony occurs six weeks after the boys circumcision.  The Tossing Ceremony requires that the boy be tossed into the air and caught by various male relatives.

Picture 1, Australian Aboriginal-Initiation and Mourning Rites of Passage.  Accessed 29 April 2014.  http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/220aboriginal_passage.htm

Rites of Passage: About a Bar Mitzvah

One particular ritual that cultures practice focus on rites of passage or coming of age.

Picture 1, the Obsessed, Upset Post from Pastor Blog.  23 April 2014.  Accessed 26 April 2014.  http://rdrevilo.wordpress.com/tag/pastor/

In Jewish culture, at the age of 13, a child goes through their bar/bat mitzvah.  Historically, academics do not completely understand why rabbis established 13 for this age of practice (Marcus 82).  The age of 20 was when the Jewish culture fully considered a person to be an adult--they were able to own land and make financial transactions.  Academics have surmised that this ritual was important to establish the individual's personal control over their spirituality. This ceremony establishes the individual as a responsible religious Jew.  The boy or girl undergoing a bar mitzvah must undergo severe preparation that includes studies on Judaism in addition to practice of the reading and his speech.  

When a boy reaches a year and a day he undergoes his Bar Mitzvah.  The boy's father gets up and gives God a blessing.  This symbolizes that the father is no longer responsible for his son religously.  He is no longer responsible for when his son commits sins.  Another important part of the ceremony is the wearing of Telfillin.  Tefillin are black leather pouches containing verses from the Bible including the Shema (sacred passages from the Bible that also have importance to some Christians).  The Torah says that men must wear their Tefillin on their head and arms.  According to http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1912609/jewish/Bar-Mitzvah-101.htm, the Tefillin are worn as a reminder that the individual must harness their intellect, emotions and action in the service of God. The boy then undergoes an aliyah.  Aliyah means "ascent" referring to the physical ascent of the individual reading the Torah and the spiritual elevation through reading the Torah.  In the community, during special holidays, readings from the Torah are read in the synagogue.  The boy must recite a blessing before reading and after reading.  He must be trained in the practice of being called for an aliyah.   This reading depends on the community and how much they expect from their bar mitzvahs.  Some require the boys to learn the haftarah section of the Torah--this can include chants and reciting passages.  This is a community ordeal--the whole community is present as this ceremony occurs.  The commandments are spoken at this ritual by boys who are 13 or older.  Gifts are commonly given, however, they are given during the reception period rather than the ceremony period of the event.
Following the ceremony is a party.  The party is usually directly after the bar mitzvah ceremony but the proceedings depend on the community.  These parties involve a feast and usually music and dancing depending on if the bar mitzvah ceremony occurred during a religious holiday such as the Shabbat.  The last part of the ceremony is a speech by the boy undergoing the ceremony.  He either recites his speech after the bar mitzvah in the synagogue or at the reception party.

Currently, females are undergoing a Bat Mitzvah which follows along similar lines.  The female, however, begins her bat mitzvah at the age of 12.  

http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1912609/jewish/Bar-Mitzvah-101.htm