[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: nentay wa'DIch

[Steven Boozer]

> Klingon Word of the Day for Wednesday, September 07, 2016
> 
> Klingon word: nentay wa'DIch
> Part of speech: noun
> Definition: First Rite of Ascension
> Source:

The First Rite of Ascension signals the celebrant's willingness to commit him/herself to the way of the warrior and is performed before the age of thirteen. Special thick, white *kor'tova* candles "represent the fire that burns in the heart of a warrior" and are lit by father and son during the First Rite of Ascension. (TNG "Firstborn")
 
nentay  		Rite of Ascension (n)

(KGT 11):  a ceremony symbolizing a young Klingon's attainment of a certain spiritual level

The ritual by which a Klingon embarks on the road to becoming a warrior. "The Age of Ascension marks a new level of spiritual attainment by a Klingon warrior. The initiate must pass through a gauntlet of warriors who test him with painstiks." (S9)

It consists of two parts: {nentay wa'Dich}, the First Rite of Ascension (which signals the celebrant's willingness to commit him/herself to the way of the warrior) performed before the age of thirteen (TNG "Firstborn"), and {nentay cha'Dich}, the Second Rite of Ascension, performed at the age of fifteen. (TNG "The Icarus Factor")

  nentay loptaHvIS tlhIngan potlh tlhIngan 'oy'naQ'e' 
  The Klingon Painstik is an important part of a Klingon's
  Age of Ascension ceremony. S32

(TKW 110):  Upon reaching a certain age, the Age of Ascension, a young Klingon undergoes a rite of passage symbolizing the attainment of a certain spiritual level. After intoning the three ancient and sacred phrases recorded above, the initiate, while walking along a path lined by painstik-wielding warriors, expresses his or her deepest feelings.

(KGT 182):  Each Klingon who undergoes the Rite of Ascension, for example, follows the same script, beginning with {DaHjaj SuvwI''e' jIH} ("Today I am a warrior"). The lines must be said in the same way each time, with little room for variation.

(KGT 65):  the painstik, {'oy'naQ} ... is nonetheless usually used ceremonially, playing an important role in the {nentay cha'Dich}, or Second Rite of Ascension

(KGT 176f):  Similarly, one might describe how to wield a painstik during the Rite of Ascension by saying: {'oy'naQ DaQeqDI' mIw wa'DIch Data', 'ach 'oy'naQ Dachu'DI' mIw paghDIch Data'} ("When you aim the painstik, you accomplish the first step, but when you turn the painstik on, you accomplish the zeroth step"). The implication here is that activating the painstik must be done before beginning the ritualistic part of the ceremony... Speaking of the Rite of Ascension, one might say {'oy'naQ Dachu'Ha'DI' mIw HochDIch Data'} ("When you turn the painstik off, you accomplish the last step").

nentay cha'DIch  	Second Rite of Ascension KGT 
 
(KCD novel):  Pok has yet to complete the Second Rite of Ascension. In the eyes of the {nugh tlhegh} he is still a boy.

The tenth anniversary of the Second Rite of Ascension is a significant time for Klingons, but it "is a secret known only to Klingons." (Worf, TNG "The Icarus Factor")

SEE ALSO:

nen  			growth, maturation (n)

 - nen rav: chorgh ben 
   Ages 8 to Adult MKE

nen  			be mature, be grown-up, be adult (v)

 - wa' jaj 'etlh 'uchchoHlaH tlhIngan puqloD; jajvetlh loD nen moj 
   The son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade. TKW

nenchoH  		mature,  grow up (v)

nenghep  		Age of Ascension (n)

 - qaSDI' nenghep, qa' patlh chu' chav tlhIngan SuvwI' 
   The Age of Ascension marks a new level of spiritual attainment
   by a Klingon warrior. S9

 - 'oy'naQ Dalo'be'chugh not nenghep lop puq 
   If you don't use the painstik, the child will never celebrate
    his Age of Ascension. TKW


--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons