Rite of passage

9- to 10-year-old boys in Malawi's Yao tribe participating in circumcision and initiation rites

A rite of passage is a ritual performed by people, either individually or as a social group. It marks the end of one phase of life, and the arrival of another. For example, rites of passage sometimes celebrate the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood.

Rites of passage exist in every society known to man. They happen differently, for various reasons, and at special times, depending on what society or culture the person comes from.

Rites of passage celebrate and protect the person who is changing. They signify the transformation from one social status (e.g. coming of age), place (e.g. crossing a national border), condition (e.g. recovering from sickness), time (e.g. celebrating the new year), to the next.

Arnold van Gennep

The French social scientist Arnold van Gennep (23 April 1873 – 7 May 1957) most famously defined the concept of rites of passage in his book Les rites de passage (The Rites of Passage), first published in 1909.

Van Gennep studied ethnographic reports from various parts of the world that described rites of passage. He concluded that all of the rites he saw had the same structure, even if the rites of passage themselves differ significantly in character between societies and cultures.

The universal structure of rites of passage

Rites of passage are ordered into three phases.

Separation

In the Separation (Pre-liminal Rites) phase, the person or group who are performing the rite of passage are removed from their society and depart from their existing status while preparing to move into the next.

Transition

This is the phase of a rite of passage that is in-between a persons or group's departure from their previous status and their arrival into the new. This phase is often characteristically dangerous and wrought with uncertainty.

Incorporation

During Incorporation (Post-liminal Rites), a person or group who completes the rite of passage accepts their new status and responsibilities and re-enters society.

Around the world

Around the world, coming-of-age rituals may be based on different factors.

Based on age

In some cultures, children celebrate when they turn a certain age. For example, it is common in Latin America to have an elaborate quinceañera when a girl turns 15. A similar American tradition celebrates a girl's "sweet sixteen" to celebrate her 16th birthday.

In Judaism, girls have a bat mitzvah at age 12, and boys have a bar mitzvah at age 13. They go through religious training and rituals, but nothing painful.

Ritual paintings on the face of a young Maasai after a circumcision ritual

Based on pain challenge

However, in some coming-of-age rituals, a child must prove that they can withstand pain or suffering with no show of weakness. For example, when a boy turns 13 in the Sateré-Mawé indigenous Amazon tribe, the coming-of-age ritual requires him to wear gloves filled with angry bullet ants without showing signs of pain.

One article describes the coming-of-age ritual used by the Maasai tribe in Kenya and Tanzania:

Boys between the ages of 10-20 come together to be initiated as the new “warrior class” of the tribe... The night before the ceremony the boys sleep outside in the forest, and at dawn they return for a day of singing and dancing. They drink a mixture of alcohol, cow’s blood, and milk, while also consuming large portions of meat. After these festivities they are ready to be circumcised, making the official transformation into a man, warrior, and protector. Similar to other rites of passage the boys cannot flinch, because doing so would shame their families and discount their bravery.

Other rites of passage

Not all rites of passage focus on the change from childhood to adulthood. These rites can mark other big changes, like marriage.

The Hamar tribe in southwestern Ethiopia created the Bull Jumping Ceremony. Before he can get married, a man must successfully jump over a castrated male cow while naked. This symbolizes the childhood they are leaving behind.

Rites of passage and cultural diversity

Learning about rites of passage within different societies and cultures provides clues to understanding those societies and cultures.

References

  1. ↑ Eriksen 2010. Small places, large issues: an introduction to social and cultural anthropology'. London: Pluto Press, p67.
  2. ↑ "Rite of passage | Definition, Meanings, Classification, Examples, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  3. ↑ Hendry, 2008. An Introduction to Social Anthropology: sharing our worlds. (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke), p77.
  4. 1 2 Van Gennep, (2004 [1909]). The Rites of Passage. (Routledge: London)
  5. ↑ Turner, (1995 [1969], pp. 94). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. (Aldine Transaction: New Jersey).
  6. ↑ "Quinceanera | History, Traditions, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  7. ↑ "Bar and Bat Mitzvah | The Pluralism Project". pluralism.org. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  8. ↑ Graham, Debbie (2025-03-30). "In the Amazon, bullet ants deliver agonising pain to boys as young as 12 – here's why". BBC Discover Wildlife. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  9. ↑ Nuwer, Rachel. "When Becoming a Man Means Sticking Your Hand Into a Glove of Ants". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  10. ↑ "Ceremonies". MAASAI ASSOCIATION. Archived from the original on 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  11. 1 2 AEDeveloper (2019-01-07). "The Culture Behind The Bull Jumping Ceremony". Absolute Ethiopia. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  12. ↑ "13 Amazing Coming of Age Traditions From Around the World". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2025-10-04.