A Rite of Passage

A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures.
Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events such as other milestones within puberty, coming of age, marriage and death. Initiation ceremonies such as baptism, confirmation and Bar or Bat Mitzvah are considered important rites of passage for people of their respective religions.


Examples of rites of passages:

• Baptism
• First Eucharist and First Confession (especially First Communion in Catholicism)
• Confirmation (most Christian denominations, such as Catholic, Orthodox, and mainline Protestant churches)
• Confirmation
• Bar Mitzvah in Judaism
• Circumcision, 
• Saṃskāra a series of Sacraments in Hinduism
• Vision quest in some Native American cultures
• "Quinceañera" many who celebrate include a Catholic mass at church
• Coming of Age in Unitarian Universalism

 Others

• Secular coming of age ceremonies Walkabout
• Black Belt Grading in Martial Arts
• Castration in some sects and special castes
• Virginity
• Grandmotherhood