Saserin

Saserin is an elven coming-of-age celebration that marks the passage of an adolescent girl into a woman. Celebrated at the 22nd birthday, the honoree is now considered a full member of tribe and now has all of the privileges and responsibilities. She will now wear adult clothing and is allowed to marry.

The young woman will wear a dress according to her tribe's tradition. They are form fitting and include a shawl that is removed during the ceremony. Hairstyles also vary by tribe.

The main ritual is performed by a shaman who recites a chant specific to the tribe. And gives the young woman a cup of wine to drink. After she drinks it, she will remove her shawl to symbolize casting off adolescence and the shaman replaces it with a generally higher quality shawl to symbolism the responsibilities of adulthood. The shaman will mark the young woman's forehead with a virtue she exemplifies. Example virtues for women are chastity, humility, temperance, patience, charity, compassion, loyalty, industriousness, and diligence. The woman will then receive tokens of inheritance from her parents which are generally items passed through generations but may be new commissioned works. These are usually jewelry, but poorer families might have a goblet or sash. A Encrabor elf will now receive a new tattoo to document the event.

The ritual concludes with a feast and dance where the honoree takes the first bite to mark the beginning of her adult life with joy and plenty. A man attempting to exchange token marks with the honoree is seen as particularly significant and is assumed to be an offer of exclusivity and upcoming proposal. For this reason, it is usually only women in recognized stable relationships who form marked pairs this night.

Components and tools

• Cup of Wine
• token of inheritance, usually jewelry

Participants

• 22 year old woman
• her parents
• the shaman