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EveryHairstyle

Rites of passage

The first haircut, the mundan, coming of age and mourning. 35 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.

Hair marks the passages of life: birth, childhood, coming of age, marriage, mourning, and entering religious life. Many of these rites involve cutting or shaving: the Hindu mundan, the Jewish upsherin, the tonsure of a monk, the cutting of a sumo wrestler's topknot at retirement. Others involve putting hair up or covering it, as at coming of age in Joseon Korea.

Cutting and shaving rites

The mundan shaves a Hindu child's birth hair; the upsherin gives a Jewish boy his first haircut at three; the aqiqah shaves a Muslim baby's head on the seventh day. Buddhist ordination shaves the head as a sign of leaving worldly life. In mourning, many Hindu sons shave their heads after a parent's death. When a sumo wrestler retires, his topknot is cut in the danpatsu-shiki, and ancient Egyptian children's sidelocks were cut at puberty.

Coming of age

In Joseon Korea, a boy's braid was tied up into a sangtu topknot at his capping ceremony or marriage, the mark of adulthood. In Rwanda, unmarried women wore amasunzu crests from about 18. Among the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, young warriors grow long braided hair dressed with red ochre, which is shaved when they become elders. Such rites show how hair turns a private body into a public statement.

Famous rites of passage hairstyles

Head shaving in HinduismThe mundan and mourning shaveUpsherinThe Jewish first haircutTonsureShaving on entering religious lifeSidelock of youthCut at puberty in ancient EgyptAmasunzuAmasunzuWorn by Rwandan women of marriageable ageSangtuThe Korean coming-of-age topknotChonmageCut off when a sumo wrestler retires

Further reading

KindCutBraidUpdoPonytailLocsNaturalCurlsShavedFringeStyledWrappedAdorned
Hair typeStraight hairWavy hairCurly hairCoily and kinky hairFine hairThick hairAny hair
Worn byMostly womenMostly menAnyoneChildrenBrides and weddingsFaith and religious ordersUniform and workSubcultures and music
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy length
WorldBraid Interlaced strands of hair used for style and social signalling.Braid · Any hair 🇪🇬 EgyptSidelock of youth Ancient Egyptian braided side hair worn by royal children.Braid · Any hair Shuku 🇳🇬 NigeriaShuku A Yoruba braided updo where hair is gathered into a hump on top of the head.Braid · Any hair EuropeRoman hairstyles Ancient Roman hair fashions reflecting status and identityUpdo · Any hair Eembuvi 🇳🇦 Namibia and 1 moreEembuvi Traditional long braided headdress of Mbalantu women in Namibia.Braid · Straight hair Kerala bridal jasmine plait 🇮🇳 IndiaKerala bridal jasmine plait Long braid wrapped in fresh jasmine garlands for Kerala brides.Braid · Any hair Poola Jada 🇮🇳 IndiaPoola Jada A floral and jewelled adornment for South Indian bridal braids.Adorned · Any hair Goffa 🇲🇱 Mali and 1 moreGoffa Traditional braided style with metal adornments for married women in Mali and Niger.Braid · Any hair WorldBraids A hairstyle formed by interlacing three or more strands of hair.Braid · Any hair

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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