OMG! What It Takes To Be A Man In Different Cultures

You think you had it bad when your parents forced you to get a job when you turned 18? Try bungy jumping with a vine or wearing stinger ant filled gloves at 16 to prove your right of passage. Becoming aa adult means different things in different countries and cultures, and these are some that will prove your manhood if you dare...

#1 Bullet Ant Initiation

Becoming a man in the Satere-Mawe Tribe, Amazon is a pain. Literally. Boys as young as twelve years old must endure an initiation where they wear ceremonial gloves that are filled with Bullet Ants. Each of the ants has a sting that is 30 times more painful than a wasp. The boys must wear the gloves for twenty minutes or more, and if he can endure the stings and is still surviving after the bloody ceremony, he is initiated into manhood by the tribe.

#2 Circumcision

Many cultures perform circumcision as a passage into manhood. In some countries, like the US and Britain, it is performed on babies before they leave the hospital for sanitary and health issues, though this is very controversial. However, if you don't know what a circumcision is then chances are you probably are not circumcised. It is the removing of the foreskin on the penis. This may or may not prove you have become a man, but the swift cutting is very traumatic for some.

#3 Bar Mitzvah

When a young Jewish boy turns thirteen years old he is given a Bar Mitzvah to prove that he has entered into adulthood. He must learn passages from the Tora and read it in Hebrew in front of the congregation. After the services, his manhood is celebrated with a lavish party where he is given gifts from friends and relatives.

#4 Cow Jumping

In the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia, to prove you are a real man, you must first prove you can jump over bulls. Castrated bulls are lined up side by side and a Hamar boy must run quickly across their backs until he reaches the ground unharmed. If he succeeds, he is considered a man, if he doesn't succeed, he may be trampled to death by the herd.

#5 Land Diving

Things are really tough inPentecost Island, Vanuatu. When a boy reaches the age of sixteen, he must land dive off a cliff. Imagine you're bungy jumping, but instead of using an elastic cord, you are using a vine. Instead of getting a thrill from bouncing back upward, you hit the ground with a THUMP! If you survive, you are considered strong and brave and are given a special ceremony to celebrate your manhood.

#6 Drug Tripping

To some, this may sound like a great idea. In the Algonquin Tribe in Quebec, Canada, it's a form of ceremony that a teenaged boy must endure to be considered a man. The boy is brought to the middle of nowhere and then is caged like an animal. He is then given an intoxicating drug known as Wysoccan, which is a mixture of herbs and plants that is a hallucinogen one hundred times more powerful than LSD. The 'trip' can last for up to a full week, and is intended to rid the boy of bad childhood memories.

#7 Turning 18 Or 21

In the United States, 18 is the legal age of adulthood. There are no fancy ceremonies unless you count registering for the draft or voting. However, at 21, young men are allowed to buy alcohol and tobacco, and this is usually celebrated by a night of wild partying until the new 'man' pukes and passes out.

#8 Whip Match

In West Africa, the Fulani Tribe has a bizarre ritual for becoming a man. Two boys are placed in a ring or cage with whips to see who can endure the most pain. The 'winner' must show no signs of pain or vulnerability as they take turns whipping each other with a thorn-covered leather whip until one boy falls out. The winner, if he has not showed weakness, earns the right to be called man.

#9 Sub-Incision

The ickiest and weirdest ritual for becoming a man yet. Near adult aged boys in the Mardudjara Aborigines tribe, Australia, must get a circumcision, but not just a plain one like most other men receive. Instead, the boy must get his foreskin chopped off in front of the tribe and then eat his own foreskin. After his penis heals, usually in two weeks, he is brought to the ceremonial stage and a sub-incision is performed on him. The underside of his penis is sliced down to his scrotum and he must stand over an open flame until the penis bleeds and begins to burn. Now he is a real man!

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