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An ever-recurring element of initiation rites found in many different cultures is the fixation upon the genitalia.
It reflects the fascination that emerges from the ability to create new life. In most cultures, fertility is seen as the most precious good, and the body parts involved frequently find themselves in the focus of ritual acts. In many parts of the world, those rites take place when the boy reaches puberty, and are meant to symbolize his transition from boy to man. The removal of the male [[foreskin]] is just one of many phenomena that developed in this context. They range from the removal of the frenulum in boys and men through partial or complete removal of the [[foreskin]] up to radical operations. Australian [[Aborigines]], as mentioned above, have their [[foreskin]]s removed. It is also usual that, a few weeks later, young men have their [[penis]]es sliced openin a [[subincision]], resulting in a partly or completely divided urethra.
Another known, particularly massive, intervention is the stripping of the entire skin off the [[penis]]. In Indonesia, boys have metal or bamboo balls inserted into their [[penis]] shaft or [[Glans penis|glans]] at the beginning of puberty, which form little "humps".