Last Child's Shed
Brief
This tradition involves any naga and occurs when the participant is around 20 years old and sheds what is considered their first adult skin. Like all snakes, naga must shed their skin once they become too small for it. A bit of fortune-telling is involved in the ceremony, with the discarded skin being spread flat and its condition read as a way to predict the naga's future and general life path.A Slither Into Adulthood
At 20 years of age, a naga plateaus in their growth; they will likely gain miniscule girth and length but this year marks the end of adolescence and the start of their adult life. The participant is given special quarters, and members of the family will often spend time in shifts with them, helping them to relax and prepare them for this shed as it is considered incredibly important for not only the particpant but the entire family.History
It's no surprise that considering how important a naga's tail is to their very being, that they would attach religous or supernatural qualities to it. While the ceremony is only for reaching adulthood, One could say that it started from many naga parents saving their child's first shed, and getting a fortune-teller or oracle to read it. It then shifted to a coming of age ceremony instead.
Execution
When the ritual is completed, the attendants take the skin and prepare it for reading. With great care, the skin it split open and laid flat and an expirenced fortune-teller will come and read the scales and interpret what scratches/damages to the shed mean for the individual.Last Child's Shed Ceremony
- Naga must be 20 years of age
- After their 20th birthday, they are moved to a temple or otherwise important building within their community
- They only see a select group of people, who attend to whatever they need (food, drink, and comfort)
- They stay in the building until they shed their skin
- The Last Child's Shed takes between one to two weeks to fully occur, and they are not helped in this process unless there is risk of injury
- Once they have shed, they are considered an adult in naga communities and are allowed to exit the building
Participants
Child
The Child is the naga that is under-going the shed. They are 20 years of age, and have yet to shed their scales after this important milestone. They are relieved of any responsibility and burden during this time, so they can focus on the intense labour it is to shed a snake skin this large.Attendants
The Attendants are usually priests or priestesses that reside in the temple or sanctioned building their entire lives, specifically raised for continuing these traditions and often being the community's doctors and nurses. They ensure that the Child has everything they need, and step in if there are complications."I noticed you marked down that you would be comfortable fostering or adopting a naga...If you adopt a naga child you will be required to participate in this part of their culture. This is non-negotiable. Many potential parents don't sign up for naga children because of this...Do you still want to go forward?"
I really like this idea and the familial / spiritual aspect around it. The process of "divination" via reading the skin was a nice addition. I appreciate the idea that adoption agencies look out for the various cultural / etc needs of the children.
Thank you! I thought it would be interesting to add a few layers to it, to make it something that isn't just solely just a coming of age ceremony. That adoption bit was a bit idealist of me but in my setting I did imagine that preserving a child's culture is important.