Coming of Age

In Eucia a special ceremony is held when a young person reaches their sixteenth year of age. This ceremony is called the coming of age and recognises the young person officially as an adult. The ceremony's scale and lavishness largely depends upon the wealth and status of the young person, or rather, their family.
At one end of the scale poorer families will have no more than a family and friends gathering celebrating with a meal and whatever drink they can afford. At the other end the royal families who will organise a lavish ceremony inviting the upper class citizens of their kingdom or city and is more about a display of wealth and making connections than it is about the actual coming of age.

History

The tradition of celebrating the coming of age has roots from a time before the Ionian conquest. The peoples of Eucia were often at war with each other as well as any external entities. Traditionally, a young male would have already begun their training in their profession, usually as an apprentice but also taught to fight as a soldier. The coming of age then become a celebration of their from child to adult, and from then on they could be called upon by their Lords to serve. Young females would have also already begun a profession and the coming of age represented their readiness to bear child. If not already engaged then the coming of age would be convenient time to find a suitor.
After the collapse of the empire relative peace spread across the lands of Eucia. Although vassalage continues to operate in much the same way, it's emphasis has waned as has the necessity for young marriages, and the coming of age became more about celebrating the individual's life.

Related Ethnicities

• Eucian