Initiation/Rite of Passage Ceremony

Last night I went to a rite of passage/initiation ceremony for one of my neighbor girls. Some of the women of the community started preparing on Wednesday and officially started the ceremony on Friday. The ceremony goes all night Friday and into Saturday with no sleep. The initiation for a woman happens after her first menstruation. 

The initiation rites and other traditional ceremonies in Mozambique are kept secret. Only women who are considered adults (those that have been through their own ceremonies) can attend. Men and young women who have not yet participated in the ceremonies are not allowed. I went to the ceremony with my friend, Sister Rita, and when we arrived they gave us chairs to sit in the front so we could see everything. I asked Sister Rita earlier if she had her own ceremony when she was young but she said no. In some parts of Mozambique they do not have these ceremonies--it depends on each village/part of Mozambique and the traditions there. I think in the northern part of Mozambique it is more common to have these ceremonies. 

The whole time I was there all the women spoke Makua (the local language) so it was difficult to understand. At one point during the ceremony, one of my friends, Mama Claudia, got up and started speaking in Makua about Sister Rita and I. She told everyone that they should start speaking Portuguese so that we would understand more--it was very nice of her but I didn't want them to have to change their ways for me. It wasn't my ceremony and I just wanted to watch. They still kept speaking Makua but my students and other women started explaining in Portuguese so I understood most of it.

Since I was only there for about two hours and the whole ceremony lasted over 24 hours I didn't see everything that was involved.  During the ceremony the women enjoyed dancing, singing, and story telling. The point of the ceremony is for the girl to learn how to be an adult woman in the community. After the ceremony she is considered a woman in the eyes of the community and men—with that comes the eligibility for marriage/dating.

Seeing the ceremony last night showed me again just how different our cultures really are. In America when a girl first gets her period it is a little embarrassing and you don't want anyone to know about it. In Mozambique the whole community knows and has a party/ceremony to show you the ways of being an adult woman. It amazed me that a ceremony for one girl would have so many women in the community and female students at the school coming to celebrate. 

While I was there the phrase “it takes a village” popped into my head more than once. I see it come true every day in the market, with my students, the community, my neighbors and when I’m traveling. And I saw another example of that last night. The ceremony was for one girl yet many women came to celebrate, share their wisdom and made it an amazing experience for her.

I love Mozambique and the traditions, people and friends I have come to know here. I feel like throughout my experiences here in Mozambique I have grown into an adult woman myself (I know, cheesy). I know I already was an adult when I left but I can see myself changed in so many ways since arriving in Namaacha. I am excited for COS and to come back to America to see family and friends but I will keep a part of Mozambique and my memories with me always.