Adult ceremony of the Tibetan girls: marriage to the sky

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Traditionally, young Tibetan girls in Gansu and Qinghai Provinces usually have a grand "Dai Tou" (literally it means to "wear a head") ceremony when they are 13 or 14 years old. "Dai Tou" is a common expression for getting married. However, during this ceremony, it is not a real man that is married to the girl. It is said that the girl is supposed to hold the wedding ceremony with the blue sky above people's head.

Because the girl is married to the blue sky, this ceremony is also called "Dai Tian Tou" ("wearing the head of the sky"). In fact, the ceremony of marrying the sky is the ceremony showing that young Tibetan women have entered adulthood.

After this ceremony, girls can identify themselves as adults and can have social contacts with people. They could have love relationship and take their beloved boyfriends home as they will.

To have a child is acceptable for adult women in the community. Women after the ceremony can either get married or stay at her parents' home forever. Women can ask their lovers to become sexual partners. Unmarried women can live with their sons and daughters and form a matriarchal family.

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Traditions -> Festivals and Customs

Adult ceremony of the Tibetan girls: marriage to the sky

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