Sunset Celebration

Othkaen children transition into adulthood on their fifteenth birthday. The occasion is marked by an elaborate celebration and a massive dinner held by their entire community.

Execution

The evening celebration is divided into two parts which represent the stages of childhood and adulthood.

The first half of the celebration begins late in the afternoon and is filled with outdoor games, sweets, and upbeat music. During this time, the young person who is the focus of the celebration is still considered a child. They are encouraged to participate in all of the festivities and enjoy the final moments of their childhood.

Pixabay Image by Huahom

Just before the evening begins, all of the guests gather together for the main meal and the most serious moment of the celebrations. Blankets will be laid out on the ground and groups will sit to eat together and wait for night to fall. Parents, teachers, or elders will often give a short speech to the gathered people about the young person and what they mean to the community. Then, just as the sun sets, the child will drink from a cup of fruit juice mixed with wine and officially be recognized as an adult.

The young adult will also take this time to reintroduce themselves to the gathered community using their new full name, which is a combination of their birth name and their own chosen personal name.

The rest of the night is filled with slow dancing, stargazing, and even more food. It is customary for every guest to find the new adult at some point during the night and reintroduce themselves as if they are meeting for the first time.

Participants

The celebration is attended by the young person's extended family and often much of their community as well. It is not uncommon for a sunset celebration to be attended by fifty to sixty people.

Related Ethnicities

Othkaen

Observance

The ceremony is usually held in the evening. Traditionally, the young person is supposed to drink the fruit juice and wine to officially enter adulthood just as the sun sets to signify the transition into a new time of life. The childhood half of the celebration is held in the daylight while the half representing adulthood is held at night. It is not always possible to plan the evening that precisely, but people do their best.

The entire celebration usually lasts about two or three hours. More elaborate celebrations can begin in the early afternoon and stretch well past midnight.