What is taught at initiation school?

Initiation schools are cultural schools which young males and females attend to be taught the values, principles, hardships, respect and accountability within their cultural tradition. This happens over a specific, defined period, usually two to six months, and this may occur during winter or summer.

How long does it take at initiation school?

In the past, the period of initiation traditionally lasted eight weeks. Now, it rarely lasts longer than three weeks. A boy normally goes to the initiation school during winter or summer school holidays and by the time he goes, his return date is already known.

What happens at Sotho initiation school?

In Xhosa and Sotho culture, the initiation process takes place in a remote area, referred to as “the bush” or “mountain” and includes circumcision. The Xhosa initiation ceremonies have been controversial because many boys get hospitalised and there are numerous reports of botched circumcisions.

Do Sotho men get circumcised?

The prevalence of traditional male circumcision among the Sotho people, who mostly reside in the Free State, is at 57.3%. Despite much criticism directed towards lebollo, there is an increase in the number of boys attending traditional initiation schools in post-apartheid South Africa.

What happens at initiation?

Initiation is a ceremony where new members are brought into full membership of a sorority. During your new member process, you will learn public information about your chosen sorority – founders’ names, where and when the organization was founded, its colors, its philanthropies and so on.

What is female initiation?

A female initiation rite is here defined as follows: it consists of one or more prescribed ceremonial events, mandatory for all girls of a given society, and celebrated between their eighth and twentieth years.

What causes death at initiation schools?

Like most initiation seasons, the most common causes of death are complications from infections —or dehydration.

Can you wear letters before initiation?

Yes, you can wear your sorority letters before Initiation, but there is one restriction. Until you are initiated, you cannot wear anything with the crest of your sorority. You can, however, wear anything that has the name of your sorority written out in Greek letters or word-for-word.

What happens during initiation week?

During initiation week, the older pledge classes will have sisterhood events for the new member class to help you understand the history of your sorority while meeting new sisters. Typically, the New Member Educator will lead you through these events and answer all questions that you have.

What is female initiation school?

Lebollo la basadi also known as female initiation among the Basotho is a rite of passage ritual which marks the transition of girls into womanhood. This activity is still practiced in the Free State province of South Africa however, not widely. In Sesotho, lebollo means initiation.

What happens in a female initiation school?

Speaking about the initiation of women, he explained that women go to initiation school to mark their transition into womanhood. This is marked by their first menstrual period. They are taken to the bush away from influences and taught the law and how to behave as a woman.