I've recently befriended a guy from Tonga who has shared with me the events of his circumcision or as he calls it "the Cutting".
Circumcision has been performed in Tonga for as long as anyone can remember. Nobody seems to have an explanation as to why it is performed. It is not due to Biblical reasons, neither is it for medical reasons. It is just done. You would be ashamed if you had not had the cutting and your friends saw your penis. Your family would be ashamed. You just have to have the cutting.
The cutting takes place when a boy is between 7-9 years old. It is done in the hospital and is paid for by the Tongan government. The days leading up to the cutting are filled with anticipation. It is an event eagerly awaited as it makes you a Tongan. Boys talk among themselves at school about when their cutting will take place.
On the day of the cutting the boy is taken to the hospital. It is usually done at the start of the school holidays so that there is time for healing to take place before the new term begins. The boy is taken into the surgical area and lies on a table. In my friend's case he said that he was not scared. No anaesthetic was administered. This apparently is common. The pain is seen as part of the transition from boy to man.
The first indication of pain was when the doctor retracted the foreskin as far back as he could get it. For many boys this is the first and only time their foreskin will be retracted. Then with the foreskin held tightly back the doctor circumcises the penis. The pain is quick and sharp. Most boys cry out with the pain. Then it is all over. All foreskin is removed. The penis is bandaged and the boy told to go swimming regularly over the next few days. In three days or so the bandages fall off of their own accord. There is no suturing.
Dorsal slit circumcising used to occur regularly in Tonga. Now it seems that western style circumcision is the norm.
