WAKURIA SAROS (CIRCUMCISION/INITIATION)

Nyaigena at Bunchari

Change from childhood to adulthood is an important Kuria ritual which transform individual to another stage of life. The change known as SARO is a passage to adulthood. Every boy or girl must pass through saro to be recognised as an adult otherwise he is Mulisya or Mosagane.

When one is circumcised he/she  is placed into an age-set ( ESARO). It is not the purpose of this issue to describe the circumcision process but to emphasise the importance of the ritual. In Kuria society one is recognised by the age set group. All people circumcised at the same time are given an age set (SARO).  When a girl is married her age set group is changed to that of the husband if their SARO are different. No one is allowed to marry children of same SAROs, All ceremonies are done on the basis of SARO or AMAKORA. One will not be allowed to marry or married if he has not gone through circumcision. In modern times boys are circumcised in hospitals and it is slowly being accepted but looked down as an inferior process. A real mkuria should face a mosali get circumcised without a wink.

Wachari conduct the SARO season every four years.

In the next issue I will list the SAROs of the Wanchari since the colonial times.

Happy reading.