Rites of Passage
Key Terms and People
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Afterlife
Cremation
Cryonics
Grief Cycle
Inhumation
Reincarnation
Rites of Passage
Rituals
Doreen Kimura
 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
 Arnold Van Gennep
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Rites of Passage
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A Rite of Passage is a ceremony that
marks a person’s progress from one role,
phase, or life, or social status to another.
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What are some Rites of Passage you can
think of?
Baptism
First Communion
Quinceañera
Sweet 16s
First Driver’s License
First Date
High School Graduation
th
18
Birthday (In Ottawa)
First Car
First Job
Weddings
First House
First Child
Funerals
Different cultures around the world all
have rites of passage, and they follow a
pattern.
 Birth, Puberty, Initiation into society,
mating and reproduction, old age and
death, are all times in our lives that we
deal with these rites. Alongside these
rites, there are rituals that go alongside
these Rites.
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Three Stages of Transition
1. You are changed from what you were to
something new.
 2. You remove yourself from society
temporarily.
 3. You are re-admitted to society as a new
person.
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Japanese Birth Tradition
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Page 128
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Aiko…is this accurate?
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What happens after these rites?
-New clothing
-Jewellery
-Body ornamentation
Mehendi Parties
Mehendi is the art of decorating women’s
hands and feet with henna tattoos to
celebrate weddings and other occasions.
 In India and Pakistan, a ceremony is made
out of the need to decorate the bride.
 The bride asks the groom to find his
initials in the henna. If he does, he
“dominates” her and if he doesn’t, she
“dominates” him.
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Body Piercings and Tattoos
Why do we tattoo ourselves?
 Why do we get piercings?
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Reasons for Rites
Why have human societies adopted rites
of passage?
 1. Help ease stress going through new
experiences.
 2. Give communities a pattern, allows
them to anticipate consequences.
 3. Entertainment
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Coming-of-age Ceremonies
Most of the ceremonies we can think of have
to do with the transition through puberty.
 As we go through the teen years, there are
good and bad experiences, some alone,
some with friends.
 A lot, even across cultures, have to do with
preparing young adults for adulthood; strong
enough to be productive members of society,
and mature enough physically to reproduce.
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Initiations
All over the world, different cultures have
different rites that involve certain initiation
rituals.
 A lot have to do with pain: Scars,
mutilation, piercings, tattoos, etc.
 Others have to do with endurance:
beatings, fasting, trials of pain, seclusion
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Regardless of the reasons why, there are
usually new dress, ways of speaking, and
lessons about morality and ways of the
group (secular or religious).
Amazon Tribal Initiation
 Scarification
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Physical Changes
Different cultures around the world mark
different physical changes with certain
rituals as well.
 Body hair,
 Menstruation,
 Other physical changes through puberty,
all of these things are marked by different
societies and cultures.
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The Sciences
Anthropologists look at rites of passage in
terms of their relationship to history and
cross-cultural studies.
 Psychologists look at the impact that these
rites have on individuals and the role they
play in mental health and stability
 Sociologists look at the place of these rites
within the different social groupings of teens
and explain the influence of gender, race,
and economic status.
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