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When a girl begins to menstruate she becomes a woman. It's a distinct, unequivocal passage. For boys it's not so obvious, so the rite of circumcision was invented to make the transition into manhood more clear-cut, so to speak.

The Koran says nothing about circumcision, but the Prophet Mohammed was circumcised. In Islam, whatever the prophet does or says is called sunnet, and that is the word for this ceremony in modern Turkish.

And ceremony it is. The special costume for the day includes a suit, a cape, a scepter and a special hat inscribed with the word Maşallah - "God preserve him".

After the deed, there's a big feast. Food, music, gifts, jokes, and readings from the Koran are all part of the ploy to take the boy's mind off the pain. It's a very important part of growing up in Turkey.