What Karo people’s Ethiopian initiation ritual involves jumping over a row of cattle?

The Karo people’s Ethiopian initiation ritual involving jumping over a row of cattle is the bull-jumping ceremony.

Among the Karo people of Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley, a young man’s successful completion of bull jumping traditionally demonstrates readiness for adult responsibilities. The initiate runs across the backs of several cattle arranged in a line. The act is a public test of balance, courage, and control.

The ceremony is connected with broader social processes, including marriageability and a young man’s standing within the community. It is often compared with the Hamar bull-jumping rite because the two peoples live in the same wider region and have related cultural traditions, but the communities are distinct.

Reports may describe the event using slightly different English labels, including “cattle jumping.” The important distinction is that this question concerns the Karo people, not the Hamar ceremony already known by the name ukuli or bull jumping.