Namegiving

Namegiving is a Lorian tradition during which a person receives their definitive Lorian emblem with their name and the citizen’s rights associated with it. It is celebrated on the 17th moonday of a person and symbolizes their the coming of age. A namegiving usually consists of two parts: a formal and social part.

Content of the tradition

The formal part

The formal part includes the official registration of the person in the Lorian people’s registry, followed by the granting of the corresponding emblem by an emblematist. During this registration, the person receives their official last name under Lorian law. As names are hereditary, the young adult must be accompanied by at least one family member with a Lorian emblem carrying the to be registered name. If the child is orphaned or unrecognized by its parents, it has to chose a name from a limited official list.
The formal part of the namegiving originated from the necessity of a structured registration of the Lorian population after the Lorian separation. To avoid Eandalian spies, a verification of a person’s origin was necessary for many official functions and acts. This necessity later became a custom and a tradition.

The communal part

The communal part includes the formal recognizing of the new family member by their local society after the formal part. This usually includes family members, friends and other people from their respective communities. During this part, the young adult shows their official emblem to the attending crowd, after which said crowd welcomes them with the words: “You are part of us, as we are part of you.”
The communal part of a namegiving is a great festivity. By inviting a great number of people, a family can show their wealth and prestige. Additionally, it shows that the young adult is now recognized and part of a large group of people, which in itself is a symbol of power and status within their community.

Social aspects

As with most traditions, a namegiving has to be placed within a larger cultural background. As the name of a person is tied to their Lorian level of citizenship, receiving a name is an important aspect in a person’s life.
Namegiving festivities are grand and often costly. A small scale namegiving is usually frowned upon, since it symbolizes a person’s or a family’s reluctance to join a community or even a lack of such a community. Even if the decision on the scope had a financial motivation, not inviting people to a namegiving can greatly offend them. Due to this, poor people are at a disadvantage because they lack the means to invite and provide for many people. Some poorer people band together to enable one person within their family or community to have a grand communal part of the namegiving. Within higher societies, this is seen as shameful, but within smaller or poorer communities this is usually accepted and sometimes even welcomed.
Refusing to go to a person’s namegiving when invited is seen as a great offense, since it symbolizes the person’s refusal to accept the young adult within the community. Inviting many people to a namegiving, while only few actually attend is a great humiliation for the young adult and their family. When inviting people to a namegiving, it is thus important to consider which invitations are acceptable or necessary and which are unacceptable.

Origin: The Lorian Realm