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Rites of Passage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from
Life Rites
) • Also referenced as: Life Rites, Ceremonies
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File: 06 Rituals and Calendar/Rites of Passage.md (4532 bytes)
--- title: Rites of Passage tags: - moravska/ritual aliases: - Life Rites - Ceremonies updated: 2026-11-03 status: canon --- # Rites of Passage A Moravskan passes 7 public stages in a life. Each stage has a ceremony, a gift, and a change of rank at the table. ## The seven stages | Stage | Age | Ceremony | Gift | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Birth | 0 | The salt and the coin | A copper cup | | Name day | 8 days | The naming at the table | A white cloth | | First step | 1 to 2 | The copper spoon | A pair of shoes | | Pioneer | 7 | The red scarf | A satchel | | Academy | 10 | The mother's blessing | A knife or a needle box | | First wage | 16 | The little table | A watch, if the family is rich | | First voyage | 16 to 19 | The tar and the salt | A coin under the mast | See [[Funerary Practices]] for the last stage. ## Birth The birth happens at home with a midwife from the lane. A hospital birth is common in the ports after 1960. The family puts three objects under the pillow of the baby. 1. **A copper coin.** For a long line and a good hand. 2. **A pinch of salt.** For the guest bond and a hard head. 3. **A piece of bread.** For a full table. The objects stay for 40 days. The mother keeps the coin in a box after that. ## The naming The family names the child on the 8th day. The name comes from the line, not from fashion. The rule of names has three parts. - The first son takes the name of the father's father. - The first daughter takes the name of the mother's mother. - A second child takes a name of a living kinsman, and the two share a name day. A name repeats across 4 generations. A stranger can place a person in a line by the name alone. ## The first step The family puts a copper spoon and a coin on the floor. A baby who takes the spoon will work with the hands. A baby who takes the coin will work with money. The test is a game. The family repeats the result for 40 years. ## The Pioneer At 7 the child takes the red scarf. The ceremony is at school and the parents watch. The child reads 4 promises. See [[Education and Pioneers]]. > [!example] The scarf > A girl keeps the scarf in a drawer for 50 years. The scarf is a private object and it is never worn again. ## The academy entry At 10 the child enters an academy. The mother gives a blessing with bread and salt at the gate. The blessing has 3 lines. 1. "Keep your hands clean." 2. "Keep your name clean." 3. "Come home." A port mother adds a fourth line for a son who will sail. "Do not whistle on the boat." ## The first wage At 16 the young worker takes a wage. The rite is called *malkata masa* ("the little table"). The young worker buys 3 things. 1. A gift for the mother. A scarf, a jar of coffee, or a copper pot. 2. A drink for the father and the men of the line. 3. A round for the work group. The cost is 1 or 2 weeks of the wage. A young worker who skips the table loses the adult place for a year. ## The first voyage A young sailor passes a rough rite on the first trip. The crew calls it *katran i sol* ("tar and salt"). The rite has 3 steps. 1. The crew paints a stripe of tar on the forearm of the newcomer. 2. The cook gives a spoon of salt and a cup of wine. 3. The newcomer puts a coin under the mast step and says one sentence about the sea. The coin stays under the mast for the life of the ship. A ship that is broken up gives the coins to the crew. ## Rites of the house Two smaller rites mark the house, not the person. - **The new door.** The family puts a coin and a pinch of salt under the threshold. - **The new boat.** The owner paints an eye on the bow. The owner writes the name with Ꙟ, if the name holds the sound. See [[Script and Typography]]. ## The state rites The party adds 3 public ceremonies. | Rite | Age | Content | | --- | --- | --- | | Pioneer promise | 7 | The scarf and the 4 promises | | Party candidate | 18 | A 1-year trial and a sponsor | | Labour medal | Any | A badge, a bonus, a photograph | A party rite does not replace a family rite. It stands beside it. A family attends both and gives the family rite the better table. ## Weak points - A family with no son gives the first-voyage rite to a daughter. The crew accepts the change slowly. - A town family loses the naming rule and the line loses the record. - The little table costs more each year. - A party candidate who fails the trial loses face at work and not at home. ## Other notes - [[Child-Rearing and Academies]] - [[Courtship and Marriage]] - [[Festivals and Calendar]]
