Circumcision is performed on about 1/7th of the world's male population. Circumcision is performed in Turkey for religious reasons. The advantages and disadvantages of circumcision have been debated for centuries. The main points of conflict revolve around whether or not to operate and the appropriate age for circumcision. Turks defer male circumcision until the age of six or seven, thus turning it from a birth ritual into a coming-of-age ordeal. As a tradition circumcision takes place during odd-numbered ages. On the day of the event, the boys dress in white and red ribbons and ride flower-bedecked donkeys or cars to the ceremony.
When the circumcision is completed, the young boy's "status" changes drastically: ribbons removed, they hold escort like kings on lavishly decorated beds, receiving compliments and gifts. Celebration of ritual circumcision is usually held after schools go on vacation or in the fall, close to the opening of schools. A boy who will be circumcised is called Sünnet Çocuğu (Child of Circumcision).

NOTE: It is appropriate to give a Cumhuriyet Altını (gold coin) or a watch as a gift to the boy in accordance to your relationship with him or his parents.

Tradition on Ritual Circumcision

Preparations for circumcision start early. An elaborate circumcision outfit and clothes for relatives of the child are bought by his father. A few days before the circumcision ceremony, he visits his relatives and neighbors in his circumcision outfit and kisses their hands. Every person whose hand is kissed customarily gives money to the boy. The circumcision hat is blue to protect him from evil eyes. In front of the hat a ribbon with the inscription Maşallah (Wonderful, May God avert the evil eye) is placed.

On the day of circumcision, guests come together and chant Mevlit and eat a meal while waiting for the arrival of the circumcised boy.

In villages in Anatolia, the young boy, before being circumcised, travels on horse back or by a procession consisting of cars, in and around the village. The boy is brought into the circumcision hall just before noon and does not dismount from his horse or get out from car until he receives money from his father. His father gives him a present and then circumcision ceremony starts.

During the circumcision ceremony the boy will have beside him a Kirve which is equivalent of a "Godfather" in Christianity. It is common to hear Oldu da bitti Maşallah (Well, it is all over and done) or Allahüekber (God is the greatest)

The boy who has just been circumcised wears a long and loose dress and is gently placed upon a very ornamented bed prepared in one corner of the home, to rest and recover. After having lunch, women and men customarily give presents to the child and stand beside his bed saying “everything remained in the past, you will gain your health soon”. Afterwards, the entertainment begins and continues often untel late in the evening.

Kurt, thank you for today's posting. Hope you will get many replies. Tebrikler!


I have seen these little "Princes" in Eyup. See photo:

http://www.let.uu.nl/~Martin.vanBruinessen/personal/publications/Eyup_5.gif

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/044DcPwav30oQ/610x.jpg

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/3361670.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=5C1929E78F851DD2E3DD949AC251B3AAA55A1E4F32AD3138

graphic scenes:http://www.noharmm.org/CAmoslcerem.htm

why not circumcise them when they are still infants?

I wonder if anybody thought whether there is any relation between the men who, experienced hundreds of years of wrong circumcision with the razors of the 'barbers' and violence against women in Muslim countries.

Do you think behind all these 'trying hide their women into burkhas, seeing women as second class etc' are the men who 'semi or fully disabled by sunnet' ?

I think the question is if those men had/have, in their consciousness, kind of trauma against 'the libido of women' because of these these faulty circumcisions .
Can this trauma or fear be genetic because it has been going on hundred of years?

Any statistics about how competent of these people who perform these sunnet operations? (mine was a not a doctor for example!! He was the guy who was doing circumcisions during summers!! )
is Rocco F (or Adonis or 555k ???) circumcised?

Off many questions for the night!!!

There is a lot of interesting information on this site regarding circumcision

cervical cancer in Female Partners of uncircumcised men

Those who advocate not circumcising nevertheless stress that lifelong penile hygiene is required. This acknowledges that something harmful or unpleasant is happening under the prepuce. Studies of middle-class British [278] and Scandanavian [416] schoolboys concluded that penile hygiene, as such, is at best poor and at worst non-existent. In the private British boarding school studied, 80% of the uncircumcised boys had poor genital hygiene, and the Danish study found 4% had phimosis and 33% had an adherent foreskin.

Hygiene

more

We are perfect creatures. If that extra skin were a problem, God would have created us (men) without it.

I've heard a theory that the pain of circumcision is that high that because of it men get more agressive, as if that pain triggered an 'agressive-spot'. Don't know if it's true but it sounds reasonable.

(BTW For hygiene reasons I prefer a man who is.... )

I wish we understood each other. Because my English writing ability is not good enough. I understand well but dont write well.

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

I won't speculate about religious justification of God loving circumcised dongs as it's not my thing, yet, I'd never let my son undergo the stress of it. As for aesthetics, it depends on what you're used to, being Polish, foreskin looks normal to me. As for hygiene, apparently it is possible to keep that place clean since most of Europeans do it without a problem...

while we were in istanbul recently we noticed some young boys dressed in this costume near the blue mosque.looked very smart but had no idea why they were dressed up.Now we know!! an interesting story to tell when we return home to england.

my brothers are supposed to be having this done one of them won't because he is too big he is 12, my dad is too late deciding with him and my other brother is almost 4 so he might have it done next year even though it was suppose to be round about now for both of them.

Here you see two cute brothers in the circumcision regalia:

http://picasaweb.google.com/neyal99/IstanbulDay1/photo#5076676117339953522
http://rasmussenanders.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-circumcision-study.html


http://rasmussenanders.blogspot.com/2007/03/few-weeks-ago-i-wrote-about-cruelty-of.html

a bit graphic!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gaxxi.com/fotoritim/fotoritim/gorsel/dosya/1172864011self.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fotoritim.com/yazi/erdal-kinaci-ile-fotografa-dair&h=599&w=400&sz=48&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=uKT-m5qkSUeU3M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Derdal%2Bk%25C4%25B1nac%25C4%25B1%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

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