Rituals of Migration

Abstract

In Amhara region, labor appears to be the best strategy to secure livelihood of households in the changing economic, social, political and physical environment. Among this, labor migration to the Middle East and the Sudan has been taken as a major option by the youth from the region. Prior to initiating the migration process, migrants have a preconceived reflection on what to expect on the journey and the experience to be faced in the destination country. They thus go through a ritual of different kinds to protect themselves and reach to their destination. There are also certain rituals migrants use as a strategy and coping mechanism that help them settle at their destination and maintain relations with their families and the community in their place of origin. It is such rituals by migrants and the ideologies associated with it that this study focuses upon.