In ancient China, the coming of age ceremony was an essential ritual for a child that had grown up. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty, with a history spanning over 2,000 years. The purpose of the ceremony was to put the initiate through various tribulations, and finally bring them into adult society. According to the Book of Rites records, Males should take part in a capping ceremony at 20, while female a hairpin ceremony takes place at 15. Both were hosted by the elderly of the clan according to tradition.

Capping Ceremony

The ceremony for men was called a capping ceremony, this meant doing the hair up in a bun or coil and wearing a cap. Usually the rite was held in February in an ancestral temple and the date was chosen by the person to be capped by divination. Three days before the ceremony, an honored guest would be selected to perform the rite. And during the ceremony, the participants-the host (in most cases, the father of the person to be capped), the honored guest and the person to be capped were required to wear ceremonial attire. The receiver was first capped with an inner cap, then a cap, followed by a scarf. After these three steps, his hair was combed into a bun, suggesting the beginning of adulthood.

Traditionally, after the rites, the honored guest would deliver a congratulatory speech to the capped. The general gist of the speech is as follows: from now on, you are granted adult attire. It is time for you to stop behaving like a child and to act as an adult. Keep in mind that you should maintain dignity and achieve moral excellence. We wish you a long life and a successful career. The capped initiate would perform a formal bow to his mother. Finally, a new name would be given by the honored guest. The whole ceremony was then complete.

Hair-pinning Ceremony

The ceremony for women was called the hair-pinning ceremony, which involved gathering hair into a knot and using a hairpin to hold it in place. It was held after a woman’s engagement and before her wedding when the woman turned 20 at the latest. The procedures were almost the same as those of a capping ceremony, with slight differences. For instance, the participants were mostly women, and the venue of the ceremony was usually inside a main room or an inner chamber.