Hi dtnl42,
Thank you for an interesting question.
A "rite of passage" is a ritual one goes through to move on to the
next stage of life.
The words "right of passage" would be the right to travel through a
certain territory.
Charles-Arnold Van Gennep coined the term "rite of passage" and
defined them as rites which accompany any change in social state, age,
place, or life cycle stage like birth, puberty, marriage, and death."
http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/tt_466.asp
"Scholars such as Charles-Arnold Van Gennep have noted that virtually
all human societies use ceremonial rites to mark significant
transitions in the social status of individuals."
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Rites of Passage
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ags25/introduction.htm
"Rites of Passage", ceremonies that mark a person's progress from one
role, phase of life, or social status to another. The term was first
used by Belgian anthropologist, Arnold van Gennep. The basic life
changes are birth, puberty, marriage, and death. Each change is marked
by a transitional period involving specific rituals: removal of the
individual from his or her former status; suspension from normal
social contact; and readmission into society in the newly acquired
status. This transitional process sometimes provides others with the
opportunity to adjust to the event, as...the death of a loved one.
Rites of passage occur in all societies and often involve symbolism,
and reaffirm the values of a society."
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Rites of Passage
http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_4.htm
"People throughout the world have heightened emotions during times of
important changes in their lives. These stressful changes may be
physiological or social in nature. They are usually connected with
personal transitions between important stages that occur during our
lives. These transitions are generally emotionally charged--they are
life crises. Most cultures consider the important transitions to be
birth, the onset of puberty, marriage, life threatening illness or
injury, and finally death. Graduation from school, divorce, and
retirement at the end of a work life are also major transitions in
modern large-scale societies."
"In North America today, typical rites of passage are baptisms, bar
mitzvahs and confirmations, school graduation ceremonies, weddings,
retirement parties, and funerals. These intentionally ritualized
ceremonies help the individuals making the transition, as well their
relatives and friends, pass through an emotionally charged, tense
time. Most rites of passage are religious ceremonies."
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Rituals and Rites of Passage
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/Rites%20of%20Passage.html
"A rite of passage, which marks a time when a person reaches a new and
significant change in his/her life, is something that nearly all
societies recognize and often hold ceremonies for. These ceremonies
are held to observe a person's entry into a new stage of life and can
be anything from a high school graduation ceremony or a birthday
party, to a funeral. Most rites help people to understand their new
roles in society. They can also help others learn to treat people in
new ways after they experience certain rites of passage."
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http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~rfrey/rites.html
Despite societal variation, and especially in tribal-traditional
societies, which represent over 99% of human history, rites of passage
have been at the core and foundation of virtually every educational,
social and spiritual dynamic -- pervasively expressed throughout
society. The entire life-cycle of an individual, from birth to
childhood to old age to death itself, for both men and women, is
marked by a series of rites of passage -- pervasively expressed
throughout the life of an individual.
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http://www.earthspirit.org/fireheart/fhpub.html
http://www.dtmms.org/rites-of-passage/what-are-rites.htm
http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_4.htm
http://www.yoni.com/cronef/menopause1.shtml
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
