What is a coming of age/ Rite of passage thing?

Question

What is it in your Culture, religion or family tradition? and also when did you/when are you going to have it?

Thanks!

Answer 1

In my family, it was getting to sit at the kitchen table with all the women at family gatherings and talk about adult topics.

That and getting your first car.

Answer 2

read "Iron John"

Answer 3

I live in Costa Rica.  The most widely observed rite of passage here is the Quinceañera, or a woman's coming of age party.  It is not unlike the Sweet Sixteen in the United States, except that in Costa Rica and most of Latin America it's the woman's 15th birthday that's important.  Unfortunately, there aren't many coming of age or rites of passage for men. That has been lost, along with many more Costa Rican customs.

Judaism still has the "Bar Mitzvah" which literally means "son of the commandment."  They boy at 13 is considered a man and goes through his rite of passage.  The Jewish girl at 12 years old becomes a "Bat Mitzvah" or daughter of the commandment.  Interesting stuff.  Perhaps there should be more of these rites of passage to put us in tune with growing up and becoming adults.

If you need information about Costa Rica, don't fail to visit the TicosLand website. It is available in both Spanish and English.

Answer 4

drinking, driving, dating, working....ive got it

Answer 5

Taking your driver's test and being awarded your first driver's license at 16 years old.

Answer 6

Learning to drive, getting screwed,  not necessarily in that order! I got my driver's license at age 16, I got screwed at age 13.

Answer 7

well in my culture (nyc) we find an out of towner, dress him up like a turkey in times square, then all the 17 year olds fromt he city hunt him down with torn off turnstiles and beat him to death then feed his remains to the pigions in the midst of a central park blood orgy.

of course goths and emos are excluded as they never come of age.

Answer 8

The "rite of passage" in many Christian churches is Baptism.  American culture tends to use college or graduations as "rites of passages".  And/or marriage.  

Answer 9

Judaism: a Bar Mitzvah

A Bar Mitzvah is when a boy is called up to read the torah in front of the entire congregation.  This is when the boy is considered a man in the eyes of the community.  It happens sometime around his 13th birthday.  A Bat Mitzvah is the same thing, only for a girl.  

After the Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah the teen is expected to take responsibility for things like fasting during the high holidays.