INITIATION IN THE LUHYA CULTURE
Initiation refers to the advancing from on stage into another mostly understood as one proceeding from childhood to adulthood in most cultures in the luhya culture it is also know as the rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society

Initiation was and still important today and in the traditional African communities for instance in boys the passage from childhood to adulthood through the shedding of blood to the ground binds them with God and the ancestors. Initiation ceremonies bring families, relatives and friends together thus helps in strengthening relationship ties.it also helps the structuring of communities through age sets or groups. People of the same group treat each other as brothers and sisters.

The bukusu are from the Bantu speaking group and is one of the sub-tribes, which constitutes the Luhyia community, they are mostly found in Western part of our country Kenya.

They are still holding to some of their traditions, which, among them, the traditional rite of passage from childhood to adulthood-traditional circumcision ceremony called khukhwingila (which when translated means to enter).

AGE

In the luhya culture, when a boy reaches the age of about thirteen to fifteen he is ready for the initiation ceremony, he has the responsibility to tell his father that he is ready for circumcision

PREPARATION AND ARRANGEMENTS
His father is then to prepare the required materials that are necessary for the ceremony. These are a male bull or a he goat, traditional beer called kamalwa, the circumciser and a small house called Likombe for the boy. The boy then gets the jingles ready. The boy plays them as people sing and dance for him during the entire process called Khulanga (calling). He plays them calling on relatives from near and a far. During the process, those who are approached by the boy must give something in appreciation and they must attend or be present during the circumcision day. If for instance the boy avoids a relative, then the relative feels bad and has to raise a complaint.

The last person to be called is the uncle; The Uncle and the Aunt are very important persons in this occasion. Before he calls the Uncle, a small pot is put outside the father’s house. In this pot, the fermented maize flour that is fried is put in. The boy is then ordered to go to the river to fetch water in the company of two other boys. After drawing the water from the river, he puts it on his head and he is not supposed to look back whatsoever. The main reason why he is not supposed to look behind is a mythical belief showing a sign of bravery. By looking behind, it sends some message of cowardice and the boy might cry during the circumcision day, which is considered a big shame to the family and a taboo to the entire clan.

The father pours the kamakhalange in to the put then the boy pours in water he brought from the river. This process is called khuchukhila, which means pouring. That beer is especially for the circumciser, which they will drink while advising the boy after circumcision.

The boy afterwards is then ordered to take a sip of the drink and play jingles and a song is sung for a few minutes. The boy then just goes around within the neighborhood until the night falls. The next day he pays a visit to his Uncle who is usually the last person to be called. The Uncle slaughters the bull in honor of his nephew and a piece of the animals skin is put around the boys neck which signifies bravery, after leaving the Uncle’s home, he comes back home where he cannot leave until the ceremony is over.

In the evening arrangements are made where the dancing process called will take place. Another large beer pot called is prepared. The pot is put in the center of the father’s house whereby the brew is filled. The meaning of this is that, the age mates of the boy’s father will open the beer with either money or something valuable.

The age mate of the father takes a drinking straw called, sips the beer after which he permits others to go ahead with the drinking. At around 9:00 to 10:00 O’clock PM, the boy is fed to his satisfaction. He is taken to a small shrine called Namwima. the Namwima shrine is for making sacrifices to the ancestors. A piece of meat, blood and beer is put in the shrine. The meat is stuck on a stick and placed in the Centre of the shrine. All these are meant for the ancestors to feed on.

DAY OF INITIATION
At midnight, the boy is allowed to have three hours sleep. At 3 O’clock in the morning, he is woken up to be taken to the river where khulonga a process of putting mad on the boy’s head and between the eyes with some smeared on the chest, hands and thighs take place. As they proceed to the river, songs are sung while the boy plays the jingles. In the river, a cousin of the boy does the khulonga to the boy. Khulonga is the mud smearing on the boy’s body while he is totally naked. Then some mud is put on his head and between the eyes along the nose.
A particular type of grass is plucked and stuck on the head. His sister who carries his clothes and the jingles. Also undergoes some ritual of mud smearing but on the face, hands and legs. She is the one who will be preparing food for his brother.

A few meters from the river, they continue singing until they arrive home, they stop the singing only a few meters from the house, but this time using a different route. There is a mythical believe that it is not safe to use the same route as a witch might have planted some charms which might harm the boy.
Before the boy arrives home, his aunt comes running with a cooking stick in an attempt to slap him. At this particular point, the boy is expected to react to such moves by blocking it. This is believed to portray courage. She then returns home to inform others that the boy is actually ready for circumcision. The father receives the boy and he can be actually be identified from the rest of the people as he is visibly seen wrapped in a blanket.

The father then leads his son to the point where he is left to stand at hands akimbo. The circumciser cuts the boy. No eye blinking or shaking the boy should show. After the circumcision is over, the man can’t sit down until the father gives him a present in appreciation of his manhood. Other people also give whatever presents they might have brought.

After some time, the man is taken to his circumcision healing house where he will stay and be fed until he heals. While being taken to the house, he is taken round it in a backward style until he goes in. This backward entry means that after healing, he will never go back to that house again marking the complete rite of from childhood to adulthood.

AFTER INITIATION
After when the boy is healed, he is free to go back to his fathers house where he is still welcomed with songs of joy because he has accomplished a mission in life, he is given gifts and a bull or a he goat is slaughtered again and a feast is called upon to mark the end of the initiation ceremony.
Those who refused to undergo the initiation were sent into exile from the community since they showed cowardlyness and they are set to return when they are ready to undergo the initiation process.

RECENT CHANGES
In our present day life the luhya initiation ceremony has changed a lot since many people consider the initiation to be unclean and unhealthy and many people have instead looked on hospitals to do the circumcisions which still show ones progress from childhood to adulthood but still in the rural areas te luhya still undergo their cultural practices of the luhya initiation or also known as the khukhwingila