Southern Ethiopia – Dimeka – BeverleyandJohn's2018Travels

After this market in Dimeka we went to see a traditional bull jumping ceremony.

The Bull Jumping Ceremony is where a young boy jumps lines of bulls to show the community that he is old and mature enough to carry the responsibility of marriage. Once completed successfully his father will choose a wife for him from another Hamer village. This is the young man who the ceremony was for today.

The ceremony begins with the young women from the community dancing for almost 2 hours in the heat. It was 32 that day.

So many striking women.

The necklace this woman is wearing with the extension in the front indicates she is a first wife. Hamer men can have up to 3 wives. So many striking women and so much energy.

This woman would be a second wife as she has two necklaces without the larger one.

The next part of the ceremony is called the whipping, rather barbaric from our perspective, but the young women are chased and whipped by the brothers and relatives of the young man the ceremony is for.

The scars are a symbol of the amount of suffering the women are willing to endure for their new husband’s family.

Next a painting of the young man for the next ceremony begins.

The new groom is blessed by the men of the his family and his wife to-be’ s family to ensure the passing on of the family lineage through the birth of many healthy children.