Page 215 - NOVOPAZARSKI ZBORNIK 43

Новопазарски зборник, 43/2020, стр. 203-215 215

Ivan B. Šarčević
The School for Primary Education of Adults “Obrenovac”, Obrenovac

ANTHROPOLOGICAL- ETHNOLOGICAL CELEBRATIONS
RELATED TO GROWING UP- A PUBERTY PERIOD

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show folk customs and rituals marking
boys and girls as adult members of a society, ready for establishment of their
own families, i.e. in puberty. It has been given a review of the most relevant
domestic literature from the beginning of the last century until present days, with
descriptions of rituals and ceremonies marking the change and confirming within
the society, and also a short review onto traditional rituals noted in the world.
Some of these celebrations are characteristic for certain areas while numerous
rituals are mutual for several areas where Serbian people live in. A young man
crossing into the world of adults receives a more significant social status, and a
girl mostly stays without the primary privilege of protection of her family, since
for the primary aim of the puberty period assumes to impose fast marrying.
The period from the middle of 19th century until today gives more reliable and
documented data on the most significant symbols of puberty and recognition
of adulthood within boys (physical changes, clothes and symbolic objects like
wallets) and girls (besides obvious physical changes, the most often are stated to
be a hairstyle, jewelers and symbolic symbols like embroidered apples).

Key words: puberty, growing up, boy, girl, ritual, custom.