Sha'thein Dei (The Coming of Age Ceremony)

It is a coming of age ritual that is experienced by every young Animan. However it is experienced differently among the different castes.

History

While a coming of age ceremony has always been prevalent among the Animen, it has evolved throughout the Ages. It began as a simple ceremony where the hunter gatherer families would teach the child to utilize their form, before journeying to a sacred site to burn offerings.
In the mid to late Second Age, the ceremony became more of an opulent celebration in progressive families. Instead of a journey ending in a sacrifice, the ceremony became more of a party. Music, feasting, drinking, and spending became more common. It was also normal to invite friends.
Nowadays it is still quite a party, although it would be considered a more subdued celebration compared to the Second Age.

Execution

As an Animan child, your first many changes are unstable, uncomfortable, and random. Like puberty, going through it can take up to a couple years. When a child first changes, it is a period of great excitement. A party is thrown where family and friends gather for a night of feasting, music, and dancing. It is common for parents to gift their child beads to weave into their growing hair.
If the child is part of the Ruling class, then it is important which form they turn into, as all Clans practice Family Outcasting.
As an Anisal, it is not a celebration at all. When it is discovered an Anisal child has become of age, they are brought before the Ruling Families to pledge loyalty and branded with the Anisal mark. This allows the child to officially find work, even though many of the children had already been employed in the Dust Fields.
If your family is Anishell, then it is doubtful the child would be celebrated at all. As the lowest class, they find it difficult to get any job, and are usually found away from society or begging in the streets. If the child of Anishell parents becomes of age, they have lived significantly longer than any would expect