Adulthood Ceremony and Celebration of becoming an Adult
Before the Ceremony
As most of you know, Foals spend one year in a mixed gendered classes before, at the end of the season of their first birthday, Foals are split by gender for separate learning.
Females stay together for their entire training for the full Year and a half after that and Fillies who have special gifts (Such as those who have shown they have the makings Oracle Acolytes, or those who's Mother wishes to continue her own education) getting additional training at the end of the day after the rest have headed home.
Males however spend half the day getting unified training, then those who wish to learn a skill will often be able to apprentice under a mare (or a qualified and approved male with a female at his side) to learn such skills, while the males that don't wish to are given a broad sample of examples they could do or allowed to just play.
However, for the last half of their third year, or sooner if they start "noticing" the opposite sex (or even same sex) in New, more adult ways, All of them get taken to the northern edge of the Sacred Mother territories: Females in the Eastern Camp and Males in the Western Camp, to spend the first part of their day getting a new type of education, And then some minor Skill focus for the rest of the day, and then return to their camp under the Sacred Maiden's watch to prevent them from wandering off with their new hormonal urges.
This is when they get the more Adult part of their education, about what is happening to their body, what they're starting to feel, what they know of the reproductive process, why they should only be 'active' with flock approved members, teaching the importance of Consent,. They'll often meet individuals who are a season before them and then some the season below them, so they can see the rapid changes happening as they leave foal hood and begin to enter foal hood.
As the foals of their season reach adulthood at the end of the year, those who are lagging behind physically will remain behind to finish developing, but those who have finished their education and are now fully Physically developed move into the Adulthood Ceremony.
Adulthood Ceremony
Regardless of gender, this is a proud moment for the mothers of the children, and they will often go to the ceremony, frequently headed by The Oracle, The Voice of the Oracle, or The Sacred Mother who acted as their main teacher. On rare occasions, the Queen will proceed over the female ceremony.
Adulthood Ceremony: MaresThe Mares adulthood ceremony begins in the Eastern Camp with the Rising sun. After a speech from the head of the ceremony, they will call the individual mares forward and take a charm from them (either a feather, a lock of hair, or if lacking either, a symbolic charm given earlier) to be taken by the priestesses and put in their vault of protection,to help bless and protect the child now as an adult rather than a child. They are then given ceremonial arm wings in the simple, traditional style, with White feathers -- later they may have the feathers dyed and painted to match their own hair or feathers, or get fancier customized feather bracelets.
Adulthood Ceremony: StallionsThe stallions adulthood ceremony begins in the Western Camp with the Setting of the Sun by the light of a small bondfire and torches. After a speech from the head of the ceremony, they will call the individual Stallions forward and take a charm from them (either a feather, a lock of hair, or if lacking either, a symbolic charm given earlier) to be taken by the priestesses and put in their vault of protection,to help bless and protect the child now as an adult rather than a child. Those with wings are then also taken to the side to get their adult piercings if bat winged, rubbings if flutter winged, and feather clippings if feather wings, an additional rite of adulthood, as a symbol that they will not wander from the flock.
Adulthood Ceremony: Cases of Gender Queer individuals
As sexuality, sex, and gender are taught to them, often times a Colt or Filly may discover that they are Otherspirited (Their gender not matching their biological sex).
These individuals end up going through their own ceremony combining at noon the day after the other two ceremonies the two genders ceremonies, and would be allowed to join the Celebration of the gender they feel would better suit their sexuality, and be assigned a "Guardian": They are paired up with a Mare to keep them from getting mis-gendered from their sex. Often times, in the event of a Female that was designated as a Colt as childhood, they'll get paired with a Male that was designated as a filly as the Males guardian, to prevent the DCAB Mare from being constantly called out for being without a guard.While Gender fluid individuals need a guardian who is female in sex and gender so when they suddenly feel as a different gender, they don't have to seek one out.
They spend the next three days together with their new partner to make sure they mesh before going to a ceremony.
All members of this section are strongly suggested to stay with the sacred maidens after the Celebration, and to think about becoming an acolyte, since their Gender not matching their body means, in flock terms, they are more attuned to spirits. However, they are welcome to simply go to their preferred, gender neutral profession
Celebration of Adulthood
For MaresAfter a Feast and party till noon, they are then taken into a special, large tent specifically set up for it, introduced to Whistler stallions (and some Sacred Daughters for those who prefer the company of mares) , to talk with as well as, if they choose, take to the smaller surrounding tents for privacy to make sure their first time is pleasurable. They can also just spend time together, enjoy their first moments of adulthood. The celebration continues for a week.
For StallionsAfter a Feast and party till Midnight, they are then taken into a special, large tent specifically set up for it, introduced to Sacred Daughters (And some Whistler Stallions for those who prefer the company of stallions), to talk with as well as, if they choose, take to the smaller surrounding tents for privacy to make sure their first time is pleasurable and how to please others. They can also spend time together for one last time, often times setting up betting pools of which stallion gets scooped up by a mare first or what they're hoping to do now. The celebration continues for a week.
For Gender QueerThey have the option to join into their own gender's Celebration late (if they are transgendered) or join the one that matches their sexuality best, or simply join a smaller one in one of the caves with with the sacred mothers, the Whistlers, and the Sacred Daughters. When the Male and female ceremonies end, the ones that joined them can opt to continue the celebration with the other Gender queer members of their season, or opt to end it early and join society.
AFTER
After the Celebration is over, the Mares (And Stallions who's mothers raised them) Are greeted by their mother and, if the mother wishes, their sire. either in the morning (mares) Or Afternoon (Stallion) And any younger siblings they may have.
For MaresIn one last bit of Ceremony, The mother Greets her Daughters as her "Sister", welcoming them to being her Equal. If they have brothers, they will join her to meet their brother and help send him off to adulthood.
Otherwise, she will take them out on their first official hunt outside of flock territory the next day.
A Week after they return from a successful hunt with their mother, they report back to the teacher who taught them how to capture stallions in their third year, and get assigned to a border guard, who then takes them out to search for an outsider stallion to capture and bring back to the Sacred Mothers. They can be assigned to groups, to a small team, or one on one, depending on the young adult mares personalities.
For StallionsIf their mother (And father/a representing Whistler stallion and sisters if they were included) greets them, they are greeted warmly and proudly, and escorted by her to the Safe Zone, often in the most convoluted way to reach it, introducing him to every mare she'd like to pick him.
Once they arrive at the safe zone, the father or Whistler Stand in will remain with him to introduce him to other all the other stallions. If he was not raised by his mother, he is instead greeted by a sacred mother and a Whistler stallion, who fill the roles of mother and father for him.
Once they are introduced to at least every flockborn or flock loyal stallion, they are then encouraged to socialize with outsider stallions with their father/father stand in in hopes of helping the outsiders relax. There are a bunch of classes they can take if they have a field in particular they wish to go to too, such as courtship dancing lessons, apprenticeship with artisans, training to be a guard or Dueling stallion etc.
For Gender QueerAs their celebration ends a little later if they choose, they and their guardian are escorted by the same as the males and females, Also a sacred mother, who introduces the parents to their child with their proper pronoun and title, and then taken to spend more time with the priestesses, whistlers, and sacred mothers to introduce them to that life to try, one more time, to entice them into it.