![]() ![]() The majority of us are being asked to stay in our homes and isolated for weeks, while undergoing boredom and dietary restrictions (though, fortunately, those are pretty minor, shaped primarily by store shortages). The parallels, here, are obvious (other than the circumcision part, thankfully). Then, upon release, they rejoin the community as men. After being circumcised, the adolescent boys are isolated for four weeks in tiny huts, experiencing many hardships including boredom, fasting, and dietary restrictions, until they are released. A perfect comparison for this moment is the adulthood rite of passage of the Xhosa Nation, a Bantu-ethnic people in Southern Africa. ![]() That anthropological term got me thinking about COVID-19 as a collective rite of passage, with this period of social distancing almost a textbook example of liminality. That stage is called liminality, and is almost always marked by rituals, trials, and even holds a threat of danger. ![]() Even in a funeral, the corpse is neither your friend, lover, or parent any longer, neither are they part of the Earth yet, but in transition. A child going through an adulthood ritual is not yet an adult, but is no longer a child. At a wedding, the couple is not yet married, nor are they single. And, during those transitions there is a moment when those involved are neither what they were, nor what they will become. Many transitions in human cultures are marked by rites of passage, such as baptisms, weddings, even funerals. ![]()
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