Old tribal beliefs in the Pāll-tanír influence the superstitions that are believed in the region to this day. According to the old ways, children are born without sin and without souls. It was believed that by giving a name to a child, one was inviting the gods to give a soul to it as well. This is generally considered a good thing, as the soul was supposedly the moral core of a person, what set them apart from the beasts of the land. In the case of a newborn child, however, this was considered a fatal mistake.
At the core of the issue, according to the old ways, was that an infant younger than a year old did not have the "strength of awareness" to hold on to their soul. A common metaphor is that an infant's soul is like a piece of cloth, loosely clutched in the fingers of one hand, flapping helplessly in the wind. It was believed that should an Arventir come along while the infant's soul is so tenuously attached, the desert spirits that reside in the billowing sands would come and take the soul away.
While a newborn was able to survive without a soul, this was because it had never known the touch of a soul. In other words, a soul was not necessary for its continued existence yet. However, a newborn that was given a soul only to have it wrenched away was likely to die because the soul had already latched on to the core of its being. Even though the soul was only lightly attached, at this stage, having it ripped away was like having one's organs stolen.
For this reason, Arventiri parents, and by extension Sharan parents, are hesitant to name their children for at least a year after birth. This means that birth days are not of particular importance, but naming days are because they represent an infant surviving through what is widely believed to be the most lethal period of its life.
Sixth Naming Day
Even though the first year of life is widely considered the most dangerous period of a person's childhood, historically, the chances of a child surviving to adulthood have been far from certain. This was no more true than in and around the Shār, where children could die in any number of gruesome ways, from animal attacks to disease. As such, naming days early on in a child's life are largely celebrated privately and without much expenditure of time or resources. At most, truly young children receive a rare treat or sweet on their naming day. Even wealthy families demonstrate significant restraint during these earliest and most vulnerable years of a child's life.
With the arrival of the Dominion and the accompanying improvement in medicine and medical technology, the chances of children living to see adulthood have risen markedly. However, traditions born from the likelihood of mortality during these early years survive to this day. One such tradition is the celebration of a child's sixth naming day. It is considered the first proper naming day celebration of a person's life and is important because it is believed that after six naming days a child has survived half of the deadliest period of its life.
Twelfth Naming Day
In Sharan communities, a person's twelfth naming day signifies that they are no longer a child but a fully-realized person taking their first steps into adulthood, no longer at risk of dying to the many dangers that plague immature people. This attitude stems from Sharan superstition, where a person's soul takes twelve years to fully attach to their body. Many believe that this explains why children can be quite capricious and mean, because the moral guidance of their soul is incomplete. After a person's twelfth naming day, however, their soul is fully incorporated into their being, imparting upon them not only the ability to live morally, but also the responsibility to do so with the utmost effort.
Sixth Naming Day
In many Sharan communities, the sixth naming day celebration is held once every year for all children that have reached their sixth naming day since the last celebration. Festivities begin early in the morning, with all the celebrants being shaken awake and taken to a certain location by their parents. In most smaller villages they are gathered at the edge of the village, while in larger towns and cities, an open square is usually dedicated to the gathering.
Once all the celebrants are together, they are hoisted onto the shoulders of their parents or older siblings and the celebration begins. The children are run around the area while shouting "taana aydis! taana aydis!", "I am six! I am six!" in Arventiri to let the community know of their achievement.
Halfway along the route, men wearing demonic masks and costumes jump out and block the way. They grab at the children and try to knock them off the shoulders of their parents or older siblings. To ward them away, the children are told to throw handfuls of sand at the demons while chanting "Rihida, baylan!", "Step aside, demon!" in Arventiri. Once the demons retreat, the parents, siblings, and children complete the circuit to signify the child conquering the hardships that lay ahead and reaching adulthood. It is believed to be bad luck to be unable to finish the circuit.
After the run, the celebrants are given half-cakes, small sweet cakes that have been cut in half and filled with fruit or honey. They are expected to finish both halves to once again symbolize surviving to adulthood now that they are halfway there.
The rest of the day is filled with games for the children for more sweets and half-cakes while the adults watch and take a much-deserved rest.
Twelfth Naming Day
Though arguably a more important milestone than the sixth naming day, a person's twelfth naming day celebration is a more intimate one held by close friends and family. The day is typically celebrated outside of home. If a family has enough property to set tables and chairs out in front of their house, they do so, but if not, preparations are made in a suitable public space. At sunrise, the celebrant, who has been left alone at home, emerges triumphant from the front door to signify that they are moving from one stage of their life to the next.
Together with the guests, the family heads to the prepared area if they are not already there, and everyone takes a seat. For breakfast, the celebrant is served salubh, a light, fragrant stew that is a Sharan celebration dish meant to signify a job well done and mark the accomplishment of an especially daunting task—growing up, in this case. Together with the dish, the celebrant is served a mug of spiced, mulled wine to mark their entrance into adulthood. The rest of the guests and family eat an otherwise unremarkable meal typical of the time of day.
At the end of breakfast, the celebrant's hands, face, and feet are washed by their parents, guardians, or, in the absence thereof, older siblings or friends as a symbolic washing-away of childhood. Afterwards, the celebrant is expected to say a few words about their hopes for the future and their aspirations after which they express their gratitude to the people that have helped them survive their childhood.
As the twelfth naming day is the mark of a person taking their first steps into adulthood, it is also during the twelfth naming day that they can become officially apprenticed to tradesmen in their communities. Most young folk have informal mentorship arrangements with craftsmen, artisans, and shops prior to their twelfth naming day. Typically this means that as soon as they deliver their speech, they become official apprentices to their masters. As such, it is customary for a master to gift their apprentice either a tool or a set of tools related to the work that they will be doing in the future.
Furthermore, as Sharans are considered adults by their twelfth naming day by their culture, they are considered eligible for traditional marriages as soon as they finish delivering their thanks. It is generally frowned upon for a person to marry so soon after their twelfth naming day as while they are considered adults in Sharan culture, they are still viewed as quite immature. This was the case even in the past, when arranged marriages were more popular.
Regardless, it is considered customary for the celebrant's family to give them a gift of marriage accoutrements. This gift need not be a full complement of items, clothing, and accessories. The gifts can be passed down or brand new, but it is considered bad luck for both the celebrant and the celebrant's family if the celebrant does not receive at least one item of silk, one item of silver, and one item with gold or precious stones.
The rest of the day is given to the celebrant to do with as they please. It is, however, traditional, at the end of the meal, once all the guests have departed, for the celebrant to set aside an offering of tanud, small pieces of unleavened bread and water for any siblings that did not survive to see their twelfth naming day.
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