Rites of Passage: The Cycle of Societal Death and Rebirth

Every society involves rituals called rites of passage. If one sees society as a collection of various ranks/statuses each status being comprised of a certain set of beliefs, values, behaviors, responsibilities
and privileges then a rite of passage is the transition between one status and another.

Rites of passage come in many shapes and forms. Some take the shape of a coming of age ceremony. Others can involve the entrance of an individual into a profession, a political/religious office, an elevation in rank within an organization, the confirmation of some form of honor bestowed upon an individual and many others. What is core to remember about a ritual rite of passage is that it involves the individual change from one status to another.

Rites of passage are anthropologically divided into three stages. These stages are Separation, Transition and Incorporation. Each of these stages plays an important role in the change from one status to another. In the Separation stage an individual is severed from their old status. In the transition stage an individual performs certain tasks, or undergoes certain trials to earn their new status. In the Incorporation stage the individual is finally appointed their new status.

Each and every rite of passage can be divided into these three stages. Take a wedding for example. The Separation stage begins during the engagement, when a person begins to be separated from their old life. The ritual of planning and bringing the wedding about continues this up until the point where the bride walks down the isle, being given by her parents...symbolically and fully leaving her old life behind.

The ceremony of marriage, where bride and groom stand at the altar, is the stage of Transition. They are at the point where they are neither apart nor fully married. They must take their vows, exchange rings and finally they must kiss. The words "I do" and the kiss seal them and move them through the final stage of Incorporation where they are bound together, and married.

Though a good example of a rite of passage, weddings are also related to what is called a coming of age ceremony. A coming age ceremony is what an individual goes when transitioning through age tiers (child, young adult, teen, adult, elder, etc.) These of course vary from culture to culture.

A Coming of Age Ceremony is usually used to reference when a child goes through a ceremony to become an adult. In many societies a woman's coming of age revolves around their first menstruation. For boys their ceremonies are generally more elaborate and the timing less well defined as they lack any obvious physiological transition.

Rites of passage follow very closely with the idea of the cycle of death and rebirth. Separation representing the ceremonial death, Transition the journey between and Incorporation the rebirth of an individual as a new person, a new member of society.

Works Cited

The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft 2nd Edition by Rebecca L. Stein and Philip L. Stein

Professor Pamela Lindell | Anthropology 330

Rituals and Rites of Passage | http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/Rites%20of%20Passage.html