Thousands of Maasai men clad in red and purple shawls and with their heads coated in red ochre gathered this week for a ceremony that transforms them from Moran (warriors) to Mzee (elders).
Around 15,000 men from all over Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania congregated in Maparasha Hills in Kajiado County, 128 km from Nairobi, to feast on an estimated 3,000 bulls and 30,000 goats and sheep.
The ceremony occurs once every decade at the site, which is surrounded by hills and dotted with acacia trees.
On Wednesday, the men roasted the meat on beds of coal from acacia trees, holding staffs and swords.
“I used to be a Moran, but after this ceremony, I now graduate to be a Mzee (elder),” Stephen Seriamu Sarbabi, a 34-year-old livestock trader, told Reuters.
“I will now be having a lot of responsibilities in the community. I will be chairing some different meetings, I will be consulted,” he added.
The arrival of the novel coronavirus in March forced a postponement of the ceremony, which was meant to have been held earlier in the year.
The ceremony was attended by high end dignitaries as led by deputy president William Ruto anda host of leaders including Members of Parliament among others
