Essay on Rites of Passage - 1580 Words

Rites of Passage Although there are many different types of rites of passage they differ in many ways, some much more extreme than the others. There are so many different cultures that have a ton of different ways of expressing rites of passage. The three different cultures that will be discussed are the United States of America, Malaysian, and Balinese adolescents. Some of the things that will be discussed are the different forms of rites of passage, the different ages that they take place at, and how they affect all the different societies. The best definition of a rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person’s transition from one status to another. This can be in many different forms, some being a lot†¦show more content†¦Although it is all meant to be fun and games sometimes they are taken too far and really need to be thought out better so that crazy things like that do not happen any longer. (Chicago tribune) The more normal rites of passage that occur in the United States are much less extreme such as Sweet Sixteen parties, marriages, and funerals. They all have a very different meaning at each point in someone’s life. Sweet Sixteen parties usually symbolize somebody becoming an adult although most of the time nowadays people really aren’t considered an adult until they’re at least 18 and in most cases even older than that. Marriage is sort of your next stage in life when you and another person join together and start a family and hopefully have great lives toge ther. Then there is a funeral which is a much less enjoyed time in everyone’s lives when you put a loved one to rest. For a lot of people their loved ones will go to Heaven but that changes with every individual on what they believe in if they even believe in an afterlife at all. There are quite a few important rites of passage in the Malay society starting with the birth of the baby. After the birth the baby and the mother are put in a confinement period of forty four days in their homes. There are also two other common ceremonies that they practice during the infant years niak buaian, which is a ceremony to introduce the baby to their cradle and potong jambul which is an event when the child’sShow MoreRelated Rites of Passage Essay1204 Words   |  5 PagesRites of Passage Every day someone enters into a rite of passage whether it be by starting school, a new job, marriage, a confirmation or communion rites of passage are common place. Two totally different cultures have totally different rituals and rites of passage. The Apache would most definitely have incredibly unique rituals compared to rural Maine and the catholic cultures therein. The best way to see the differences is to compare the two different cultures. 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