First Fish

Our thanks to Death who saw fit to keep us alive to this festive time,

And May Death see fit to keep us alive to the next time we can eat of the First Fish.

— traditional prayer before eating the fish

Vitlesh children at the age of 14 get an unparalleled opportunity to be welcomed into the community as adults. At the end of the dry season, on their birthday, they participate in the ceremony of the First Fish. Celebrating with food, drink and a lot of dancing, they transition from children into adults.

A Time of Jubilation

The First Fish is only part of the festivities surrounding the changing of the seasons. This particular tradition is due to fish not being permitted for consumption for children in Vitlesh culture; only adults are allowed to partake. That means this is the first time that children get the opportunity to dine on the "fruit of the rivers."
The meal begins with a customary prayer (above), and then the child or children in attendance are given a fish, often on a bed of Darang tree leaves whose flowers also bloom in this season. Traditionally, the child then bites off the head of the fish, spitting it out onto the ground. Some have the children actually eat the head. Either way, the meal continues, with much carousing until late into the chilly desert night.

A Cultural Sticking Point

For non-Vitlesh people across central Vesrae, the First Fish ceremony has become a point of conflict. For example, non-Vitlesh refugees from the Viceroyalty of Versal Phanta have been known to be forced to participate in the ceremony, and rebellious factions have used the festivities to meet regarding their illicit activities.

CW: eating, dead animals, mistreatment of refugees (mentions).

Related Ethnicities

• Vitlesh

Wait, birthday, singular?

The Vitlesh don't believe in each child having individual birthdays as such. Instead, the first day of the wet season is the birthday of every single child. Similarly, the height of the wet season is the birthday of every single adult. All of this leads to the tradition of the First Fish always falling on the 14-year-old's birthday - which is also their last birthday as children!

A traditional platter of the First Fish, with the head missing.
All images in this article were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise indicated.