The Mountain Jews rituals shende, oftum and kekul, and prescriptions associated with them

Abstract

Rituals shende, oftum and kekul were practiced in families where boys died in infancy. They were carried out, as a rule, by rural residents. During the ceremonies shende and oftum adoptive parents (usually relatives of the real parents of the child) “accidentally found” a newborn boy and raised him at home. Up to the Jewish rite of adulthood the child was not called a Jewish name, but only the replacing nicknames Shende (“Dumped”) or Oftum (“I found it!”). After coming of age, the boy returned to his parents' house. According to the rite kekul the boy grew up with his parents, but they gave him a girl to adulthood, he was called a nickname Kekul (“Topknot”) or “girl” (dukhteleime), he was dressed in the girlish dress, in the right ear he wore an earring. Upon reaching the age of thirteen, the rite of majority was held, on the eve of which the boy shaved the topknot and removed the earring. At the end of the ceremony the boy could be dressed in men's clothes and called a Jewish name.