500 Knives: Celebrating Traditionall
Throughout the eve of the circumcision, the people stayed awake, celebrating the event that was to take place the following day. They spent the night singing the epic kirarire song, which would last all night and continue through the morning into the circumcision itself. The leader of the singers was supposed to be an expert in giving moral instructions to the candidates through this song. Besides telling them the rules of conduct and behaviour of a circumcised person, and the importance of maintaining one's dignity, the instructor aimed at impressing on the candidates that their years of childhood had gone and that, besides beginning a new life, they had to uphold high moral standards so as to keep on the same moral level with their forefathers. This song was sung after all other songs and dances had stopped. It was sung with everyone sitting or standing quietly, and in a serious tone, in front of the candidate's mother's house. The candidate, together with others, was supposed to be either inside the mother's house, or somewhere among those nearest to the entrance. The leader of the song either sang or spoke all the words with the crowd responding, \"Eee,\" meaning \"That is the thing,\" or \"That is how it is,\" or \"Oh yes, tell us,\" or simply. \"It is true\", depending on what the leader had said.
Female circumcision was traditionally performed on girls in their late teens, and was followed by a period of healing and seclusion from society, during which they were instructed in tribal knowledge, their roles in life, and so on. After the period of seclusion was over, they would generally swiftly be married, only death in the bride's village or bridegroom's village being reason enough to delay a wedding. Nowadays, with the break-down of the taboo on sex between a mother and father who have circumcised their eldest child, marriage can take place up to three years later.
Capoeira instruments are disposed in a row called bateria. It is traditionally formed by three berimbaus, two pandeiros, three atabaques, one agogô and one ganzá, but this format may vary depending on the capoeira group's traditions or the roda style.[citation needed]
Traditionally, the birth ceremony is led by a shaman who also assists the delivery process of the baby. When the mother gives birth, he or she would be welcomed by the shaman, who will bind and cut his umbilical cord. Certain tribes, such as Aceh have a number of particular amount and form of umbilical cord bonds, 7 knots for boys and 5 binds for girls. The umbilical cord is usually cut with a knife made from bamboo or sembilu. The Shaman then gives the traditional ingredients for the mother for enabling the baby to relieve the pain and recover wounds besides bathing the baby. In some tribes that live in the waters territory, such as Bajou in Sulawesi and Dayak in Kalimantan, the shaman or sando traditionally do the water birth by putting the newborn into the river water. Shaman would bathe the baby with various kinds of perfumes. The bathed baby will be given back to the parents to be prayed, for instance a prayer (adzan or iqamah) for Muslims. Shamans plants the placenta cord in the yard. In Aceh, for example, the mablien plants the placenta in a pot, puts flowers and fragrances on it, and then planting it in the yard in front of the house. In Bali, in Jatakrama Samskara ceremony, the placenta is put coconut shell called kendil. The kendil is then buried in the grave in front of the house. In Java, brokohan ceremony is conducted by giving offerings plates of dhawet, Java sugar, coconut, and various flowers.