In the late afternoon, we joined the famous Hamer ceremony (🎟️ 2,000 ETB, local guide 1,000 ETB) at the usual place, just a few kilometres behind Turmi. The “Hamer bull jump” is a rite of passage for young men in the Hamer tribe of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, where they must run across the backs of a line of castrated bulls four times without falling. This ceremony marks a man’s transition to adulthood, and its successful completion allows him to marry, own cattle, and receive an animal-skin cloak. The ceremony involves a festive, noisy atmosphere, rituals for the jumper, and a symbolic whipping of the women by the men who have already completed the ceremony.
