Maasai spit is blessed!
The Maasai (Masai) people are a semi-nomadic group resident in Kenya and northern Tanzania who use spitting as an important part of their culture.
In some parts of the world you could be prosecuted for spitting on or near someone; however, if you ever find yourself in southern Kenya or northern Tanzania, consider yourself ‘favored’ if anyone spits on you.
Here are 3 surprising ways the Maasai use spit to practice culture:
#1. Spitting to show respect.
For the Masaai, spitting is a sign of respect. They spit on their palms before handshakes. This is how they greet each other, seal deals and wish each other luck.
#2. Spit as a marital blessing.
Typically, before a Maasai wedding, the bride’s head is shaved and applied with lamb oil and fat. Then during the wedding ceremony, the father of the bride blesses his daughter’s marriage by spitting on her head and breast. This is believed to bring good luck to her marriage.
#3. Spitting to ‘anoint’ newborn babies.
The spitting custom of the Maasai extends even to new born babies. When a child is born, parents, friends and all who visit the family spit on the newborn baby to wish it good fortune and long life. They believe that if they praise the baby it may be cursed and not survive–so they annul this by spitting on the child and saying bad things about the child.
The Maasai people are traditionalists who have adamantly resisted the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments’ nudges to adopt a more modern lifestyle. This spitting custom happens to be only one of the tribe’s many distinctive customs.
One can only wonder how they have been navigating the Covid-19 era, with all that ‘customary’ spit.
#OddCulture is a series highlighting strange and unique cultural practices. In this edition we explore the spitting culture of the Maasai people of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
