In early July, Nyango and Naserian Mission held a special ceremony for young men making the transition to elders. This transitional ceremony has been held in Maasai communities for generation, but this is the first time that Christian blessings and prayers were incorporated into the ceremony. Over 500 men participated in the ceremony; together with their wives and elders of the community, over 1,200 people were in attendance.
The ceremony began before dawn with everyone gathering in the cattle corral for early morning prayers and singing. The prayers concluded with a blessing of the milk. Cattle and milk are integral parts of the Maasai lifestyle and livelihood, so blessing of milk acts as a blessing of health, sustenance, and community suc
cess. Next the men proceeded to receive blessings from community elders and greetings from the church clergy. The men processed, in a single-file line, from outside, into the cattle corral. As they crossed the threshold, the community elders anointed the right arm of each young man with a mixture of milk, oil, and honey.