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Ritual circumcision involves cutting off the foreskin of a male and is often steeped in cultural significance. Female circumcision, or genital mutilation, is controversial. The practice is debated ethically and is often regulated in countries that value freedom from genital mutilation.
Ritual circumcision is any process that has high cultural value and involves cutting off the foreskin of a human male. Most of the time, female circumcision is also steeped in rituals, but this type of circumcision is much more controversial and is usually referred to as female genital mutilation, no matter how important it is culturally within a particular society. Ritual male circumcision is often performed on boys or infants and may involve parties, religious ceremonies, and, if the boy is old enough, male bonding with other boys being circumcised. While the specific meaning of ritual circumcision depends on the culture in which it is practiced, this type of activity often symbolizes becoming a man or joining a religious group.
The origins of ritual circumcision differ across cultures, with many citing Biblical passages as justification. It is possible that this practice originated in Egypt and is related to the shedding of a snake’s skin. In a practical sense, the purpose of this type of ritual is to physically mark males as members of a specific cultural group. The ethics of ritual physical alteration of minors is often hotly debated, and in many areas, ritual circumcision is highly stigmatized if not illegal.
One of the best-known types of ritual circumcision is the brit milah, which is a Jewish ceremony performed on infants. The ritual aspect of this ceremony is clear not only in the activities of the people participating in the ceremony but also in the requirement that blood be drawn for the circumcision to be counted. Muslim circumcision rituals are much more varied and occur across a variety of ages, although it is more common for the procedure to take place in public and involve several boys.
In Africa, ritual circumcision may involve the simultaneous circumcision of all boys of a certain tribe. Like many circumcision rituals that focus on turning boys into men, it is highly encouraged to show no fear and to be strong in the face of pain. Unfortunately, any circumcision ritual that is not well regulated and involves the circumcision of multiple boys using the same tools is likely to spread disease. This has been a problem in many cultures, including cases of herpes which was spread during a brit milah.
Just because an act is a ritual doesn’t mean it is free from the moral standards of the country where the ritual is practiced. In countries that value the use of anesthesia or consider freedom from genital mutilation a serious issue, the circumcision of minors is often heavily regulated. The ritualistic aspects of circumcision must often be observed within a medical context in these places, or the person providing the circumcision must be specially trained in some way.
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