Ceremonies

Anathema Ceremonies

Rite of Agares

This is the process of accepting a new member into Anathema. Enacted by a leader of the pack and any canine who wishes to join. A cut is made on the paw of each participant and contact of the wounds is made, allowing the blood to be shared. The idea of this is to bond the individual to the rest of the pack, thus making them family.

Mateship Ceremony

In Anathema, when two wolves come together to join for the rest of their lives they are given a ceremony by the leadership and given gifts by the rest of the pack. The main purposes of the ceremony are to make the Gods notice the pair through animal sacrifice and to show respect to the Gods so that they will award the newly mated pair a lifetime of fortune and fertility.

The pair will join the ceremony by walking into the ceremonial clearing called Maxia Negra. They will walk over embers and coals to reach the group of luperci in the middle. The area is defined by around twenty trees that had been cut down in the past, leaving stumps to sit on. There are two curved whale rib bones that are buried in the ground, the tips forming an arc above a burning fire pit. After the two arrive, the leader of the pack will give a small speech. He/She will then sacrifice a lamb to the Gods and use his/her thumb to smear blood across each luperci’s forehead. The pair will then be given amulets and ankhs to ward off danger and encourage a long life and fertility and may receive gifts from pack members and well-wishers.

Coming-of-Age Ceremony "Rast"

On the day before their 7th month of life, an Ookii Yokai will be approached by an adult in the pack. The pup will be told that on the night before their 7th month of life, they must go on a hunt. They must catch an animal and sacrifice it to the Gods. The pup is not permitted to eat any of the animal that they catch or taste its blood. The next day they must fast and will spend the day fashioning something out of the bones of the creature that they sacrificed. This item can be anything that can be worn or carried; a bracelet, necklace, talisman, gris-gris, charm, etc.

That night, there will be a ceremony for the pup called "Rast". The pup will wear what they created with the animal's bones. Each animal that can be caught has a different meaning, and at the ceremony that meaning will be explained to the pup, its parents, and the pack. For example, a pup who catches a squirrel will be considered a swift hunter and will be respected in that area. After the meaning is explained, the pack will feast and celebrate the pup's journey to adulthood and promotion into their rank tier of choice.