The purpose of this study is to provide an ethnographic description of the male circumcision ritual among the Daasanach of East Africa, a major social event that extends over the course of a month. The ritual process can be divided into three stages: (1) the period leading up to circumcision (separation stage), (2) the circumcision itself (transition period), and (3) the post-circumcision period through reintegration into daily life (transition and incorporation stage). Within the Daasanach society, eligibility for circumcision requires membership in a generation–age set. Because being circumcised signifies the transition to manhood, tensions often emerge between young men who seek early circumcision to increase their social influence and older men who attempt to preserve their authority by delaying or restricting access to circumcision. Thus, the ritual becomes a rite of struggle over permission timing. This study examines the ritual in detail, emphasizing the generational conflict between older adults and youth. I begin by outlining the social organizations that structure the ritual, especially the generation–age set system that underpins these tensions. I then present an overview of the ritual’s historical background and highlight its distinctive features through comparison with neighboring societies. After describing the formal stages of the ritual and analyzing the themes of “hotness” and “coldness,” I focus on a case observed during fieldwork to illustrate the dynamics of conflict between older adults and youth and to explore the broader social implications of this struggle.

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