Kings for a day . . . or two

This weekend, we had the privilege of helping a family in our apartment building celebrate the circumcision of their 2 sons. Here, families wait until their sons reach about primary school age to have it done (as a coming-of-age, religious rite). And when it's done, the celebrations begin!

Mom and dad had been preparing for this occasion for months! I don't know all the preparations that have to be done, but I'll tell you what I know happened over the past couple of days. I think you'll see for yourself what a task it is.

First, all the relatives came. And when I say relatives I'm talking probably at least 1/3 of their small family village! They all came in a bus together. Some of the relatives came earlier than others. I went by to say hello on Fri. and there were a couple of women sitting on the floor preparing some kind of food. No, the food wasn't on the floor. They sit cross-legged on the floor with a big round work surface raised about 2 feet from the floor (portable). I couldn't tell what they were making, but there was a lot of it. When I stopped by, the mom ushered me inside to show me her son's bedroom. The bed had a sheer piece of bridal veil-like material draped around it. It was all decorated with different colors of tinsel-like stuff. And neatly laid out on the bed were the special outfits the boys would wear to the festivities, along with a few other special items the mother had been preparing as gifts for family members who came.

So, the relatives start trickling in, and the kids are all running around playing. The adults are all greeting one another, talking, trying to get things set up for the party later on in the night, getting themselves and the kids dressed up, etc. Keep in mind that most of what we saw we saw from our window. After a while, all the women come out of the building: sparkley head scarves, make-up, fancy dresses, heels. And finally the guests of honor . . . the two boys. Let me take a moment to describe what they looked like . . . An entire outfit is tailored for this special day: white pants and shirt, white shoes, cape, regal hat, scepter, sash with a special message printed on it. On top of the white satin like material is a crimson design bordered by gold embroidery thread. And, yes, they do carry the scepter around the whole time!

Once mom, dad, and the boys were dressed and ready to greet their guests, everyone arrived to start eating. It was catered, much like we would do a big family get together at home. The food served was rice, bread, a soup-like dish, beans, and cherry juice. After eating, folks just kind of wandered around talking, listening to the live music, keeping their eyes peeled to the rain shower we could see coming over a mountain in the distance. Of course, the kids (and especially the two sons) were running around playing without a care in the world - as if they didn't realize they were dressed up for a really special occasion.

Well, at this particular party, all of the musical equipment had been set up outside. Then it started raining, so they had to move it inside. Then the rain stopped and it got too hot inside for everyone. Plus it was getting crowded. All the musical equipment got moved back outside. After that, the men started stringing lights. That was a learning experience! I don't know if any of them were licensed electricians, but they were doing things with live wires I'd be scared to do even if they weren't live!

Meanwhile more and more people continued trickling in. Stools were set up on the street under the lights that had been strung - men were on one side and women/children were on the other side. The little old man we had been talking with told us that the women were going to dance later. Unfortunately, we didn't hang around to see who danced the night away. We left after a couple of hours, but from our apartment we could hear the music as if we were sitting right there in front of the speaker. It continued well into the night, but thankfully our apartment is on the opposite end of the building and our fan blocks a lot of noise. We didn't hear a thing!

This morning we woke up to quiet, but it didn't take long for all those people to begin stirring. (We still don't know where they all slept!) They set up their musical equipment right outside our living room window and started playing about 10:30 in the morning - that's early for these folks on a Sun. morning. Not long after they started, the police showed up - no doubt someone complained that their sleep had been disturbed! And at some point in time this morning, there probably was a special religious leader who came to recite some words and prayers over the two sons.

All the hustle and bustle of feeding all of them started again. Our doorbell rang, and they invited us to eat with them. We had friends over for lunch, so we declined.

This afternoon, things have been quiet. The bus from the village is gone, and there's no one stirring outside. Typically, the boys are paraded around town in a caravan of horn-honking vehicles, accompanied sometimes by a drum and flute, and sometimes accompanied sometimes by a horse, on which the son is placed - as king for the day. We never saw a horse, never heard a drum, but we did hear some horns honking. It's possible they paraded around all the way back to their village 3 hours away. Who knows!

So you may be asking how in the world could those two little boys enjoy so much fun while enduring such a shocking experience. Well, in the past, the son was king for the day, and at the end of the day he got a big (not so fun) surprise. Now, it seems, the circumcision is done a week or so early, so that by the time the party rolls around, they can really enjoy themselves.

On top of all of that, the family receives gifts of gold from family and friends in honor of the special occasion. It turns out to be as much of a party for the parents and family as it is for the boys.