Kjeforin hair braiding

Among the Kjeforin, the braiding of a young man’s hair has evolved from marking the beginning of his quest to find a wife to a tradition marking his coming into adulthood.

Historically, Kjeforin ialy kept to very distinct gender roles, with males leaving their family home to search for a wife. In preparation for their departure, on the day before a young man’s departure, his parents would weave it into braids, decorated with charms for safe travel and luck in courtship. Over time, more complex styles evolved which indicated where a young man was from, what qualities he had to offer his prospective wife’s family, and what he qualities hoped to find in a partner.

As changes to society and the growth of cities has put more people into in closer contact with other ialy and other species, boys are no longer obligated to leave their family to find wives. However, the tradition of braiding a young man’s hair at his majority has remained.

A Kjeforin boy grows his hair throughout his childhood. On his seventeenth nameday, his grandmother and aunts present him with gifts of good luck charms - either new or from their fathers - and his parents braid them into his hair. He wears these charms and this hairstyle until his wedding day.

The old patterns still persist in we communities, passed down from father to son. Certain types of braid in certain locations indicate his best qualities - outgoing and kind, quiet and loving, honest and loyal - while the placement and manner in which the charms are braided no longer denote what he desires in a wife but indicate his hopes for his future: travel, a career, a large family.

In recent years, hair braiding has become popular for girls, too. The styles of the braids have the same meaning as the boys’ hairstyling, but without the inclusion of charms. Girls may also receive hair ornaments as gifts, but they will be removable and purely decorative.