Men, think you're having a hellish week?
From an African tribe in the Thonga of southern Africa, there is a cultural tradition that has been adopted by men and college societies and religious leaders all over the world--in one behavior or another: aka Hell Week.
When a boy is somewhere between 10 and 11 years of age, he is sent by his parents to "circumcision school", which is held every four or five years. In company with his age-mates he undergoes severe hazing by the adult males of the society. The initiation begins when each boy runs the gauntlet between two rows of men who beat him with clubs. At the end of this experience, he is stripped of his clothes and his hair is cut. He is next met by a man covered with lion manes and is seated upon a stone facing this "lion man." Someone then strikes him from behind and when he turns his head to see who has struck him his foreskin is seized and in two movements is cut off by the "lion man." Afterward, he is secluded for three months in the "yard of mysteries," where he can be seen only by the ones who initiated the process.
During the course of his initiation, the boy undergoes six major trials:
From an African tribe in the Thonga of southern Africa, there is a cultural tradition that has been adopted by men and college societies and religious leaders all over the world--in one behavior or another: aka Hell Week.
When a boy is somewhere between 10 and 11 years of age, he is sent by his parents to "circumcision school", which is held every four or five years. In company with his age-mates he undergoes severe hazing by the adult males of the society. The initiation begins when each boy runs the gauntlet between two rows of men who beat him with clubs. At the end of this experience, he is stripped of his clothes and his hair is cut. He is next met by a man covered with lion manes and is seated upon a stone facing this "lion man." Someone then strikes him from behind and when he turns his head to see who has struck him his foreskin is seized and in two movements is cut off by the "lion man." Afterward, he is secluded for three months in the "yard of mysteries," where he can be seen only by the ones who initiated the process.
During the course of his initiation, the boy undergoes six major trials:
- Beatings
- Exposure to cold
- Thirst
- Eating of unsavory foods
- Punishment
- Threats of death and doom
On the slightest pretext, he may be beaten by one of the newly initiated men, who is assigned to the task by the older men of the tribe. He sleeps without covering and suffers bitterly from the winter cold. He is forbidden to drink a single drop of water during the whole three months. Meals are often made nauseating by the half-digested grass from the stomach of an antelope, which is poured over his food. If he is caught breaking any important rule governing the ceremony, he is severely punished. For example, in one of these punishments, sticks are placed between the fingers of the offender, then a strong man closes his head around that of the novice, practically crushing his fingers. He is frightened into submission by being told that in former times boys who had tried to escape or who had revealed the secrets to women or to the uninitiated were hanged and their bodies burned to ashes.
In summary, after doing all of this, you understand being a part of your surroundings or group: emotional and connected togetherness. It is also believed that one is less likely to become lazy or dysfunctional during an emergency or an unexpected hellish event. And you, your point of view--Have you ever participated in any of these behaviors? Were you the victim or the initiator?
Source: Author unknown. All credit is given to the author.