Aging Up

This is the common name for the coming of age ceremony done by the Hill Folk of The Wilds. Young girls growing up in the area grow their hair out long, and usually let it hang down with few exceptions during their childhood. Young boys wear plain shirts and breeches until their coming of age ceremony. Once they reach the age of about sixteen, a ceremony is held which celebrates their becoming an adult. The ceremony involves two different things for boys and girls. For girls, the mother (or equal woman of the house) sits down to dress the girl's hair and tie it into an updo, signifying that she is a woman on the market for marriage. (A similar ceremony takes place at weddings, in which the bride has her hair braided to signify that she is married). For boys, their father (or equal man of the house) gifts the boy with new clothes, including a dress shirt, vest, and full trousers. The vest, like the girls' hair, shows that they are on the market for marriage as well. (Likewise, on their wedding day, they are gifted a jacket to show that they are married as well.)
It is usually a ceremony celebrated by the entire village, as well as neighboring villages if there are any who know the family of the child aging up. After the ceremony, there is a large party with a potluck and lots of dancing, and the newly Aged Up is expected to dance with other people around their age who have also Aged Up.
No one knows for sure where this ceremony originated, although there are some stories and fairy tales about famous Hill Folk that describe the tradition as long as 300 years ago. To this day, if elders catch any young girls or boys dressing up or fixing their hair so they don't look their age, they are sure to get a long scolding and lecture.