MADONNA - ROCCO'S SHORN

MADONNA shaved off her three-year-old son ROCCO'S long blond hair at the weekend (9MAY04), to obey the rules of her Kabbalah faith.

The tot - who was snapped this week with his dad GUY RITCHIE, sporting a newly shaven head - took part in a ritual cutting ceremony on Sunday to mark the death of one of the Kabbalah's founders, SIMEON BAR YOHAI.

According to Kabbalah custom a boy's hair must remain untouched until his third birthday - Rocco turned three last August (03). It must all be cut off either then, or on the following 9 May, the anniversary of Rabbi Bar Yohai's death.

The cutting ritual - which is seen as a boy's first step into manhood - involves Kabbalah members gathering around the child and each cutting a lock of hair before throwing it on a bonfire.

A Kabbalah insider reveals, "Kabbalah devotees insist that a child's hair is not cut until he is three years old.

"It's a big deal to cut the child's hair when the time comes - lots of men in the community gather round and each of them cut a bit off.

"According to Kabbala, young boys can start wearing skull caps after their first haircut, but not everyone chooses to follow this ritual."