A show of remarkable strength, skill and physicality, the bull-leaping ceremony may be a centuries-old distribution ceremony for the young men of the Hamer convention. The Hamers are a tribal community living in the Lower Omo Valley of Ethiopia.
There will be a lot of partying on the day of the ceremony. Women move in their ordinary clothes - play the horn feet on the bell - drink home-made sorghum. Depending on the social status of the family, probably somewhere between 100-300 people go. Some time recently, female relatives of a young man (except for little girls), men who have successfully completed the bull jumping ceremony and live apart for a while, come to see Maza in a ceremony. the rest of the tribe. They ask these men to whip to show their commitment and dedication to their male relatives.
The idea here is to create a solid bond between them - a bond. Since they had so stoically endured such torture for his sake, he should feel compelled to make sure they lasted a long time. It is also a sign of their attractiveness as a future husband, and it becomes a kind of competition, with the women refusing to back down and vowing that each will suffer the most pain. Sometime recently, in a ceremony, a young man is rubbed with sand as a filter, sprinkled with manure to convey quality, and usually shaves his head bald and paints his face. Bands of bark are wrapped around his body as a religious security offering. Seven to ten castrated bulls are driven by the men of the tribe and sprinkled with compost to make them dangerous. Amid an electric climate and a cacophony of bells and horns, a man must jump over several deep cattle piles and ride over them 4 times without falling.
If he fails, he fails the ceremony and must try again in a year. If a man is in any way fainted or weakened, other members of the tribe will help him. If a man passes the test, he is favored and the skin of the creature surrounded by the herd is hung over him amid happy cheers and celebration. At that point, he approaches Maza, who shaves his head completely. A huge house party follows, which lasts until the early hours of the morning: the festivities continue for several days after the ceremony.
By moving, a man has the opportunity to meet a potential wife, although the first marriage (a hammerhead can have up to four spouses) is chosen by the guardians. After the marriage is consummated, the husband's family must pay the wife's family an allowance of 30 goats and 20 cattle. A man is allowed to keep cattle even after going through the ceremony, which is an important part of the life of this pastoral community.
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