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The adolescent mind is
essentially a mind of the moratorium, a psychosocial stage between childhood
and adulthood, and between the morality learned by the child, and the ethics to
be developed by the adult. It is an ideological mind — and, indeed, it is the
ideological outlook of a society that speaks most clearly to the adolescent who
is eager to be affirmed by his peers, and is ready to be confirmed by rituals,
creeds, and programmes which at the same time define what is evil, uncanny, and
inimical. Erikson E. 1965 Child and Society pp. 252-254
The rite of
passage is an ancient or current practice of cultural belief of which the
coming of age is marked as another stage of a person’s life. It is when a boy
or a girl has to go through a grueling test of courage, endurance and character
before one can claim worthy of womanhood or manhood. In some culture coming of
age is something to look forward to, it is when one has to finally be allowed
to do what “grown-ups” do like driving, and getting into a bar and other things
they may relate to as pleasant. But in
some culture young people may have to endure painful initiation, and risk to
become or called an adult.
The
Rite Of Passage: Young Mascelera Apache Girls’ Quest for a Woman Name
The Rite of
Passage for the young Mascelera Apache girls in the Mountain of New Mexico
would often take four days of celebration and ceremony. The girls will go
through test of character and strength which they believed to be an essential
aspect of being a woman. On the rise of the morning star on the Fourth of July
the girls will endure four days of sleepless nights and hunger and during this
course of time, they must also suppress all kinds of emotions. Then a medicine
woman chosen by the family will teach them the ways of being a woman. The girls
will symbolically go through the four stages of life which is being an infant,
child, adolescent and a woman. They will also be dusted with pollen, a symbol
of fertility and a teepee will be built by the male relatives. The celebration
will begin with the girls running towards the rising sun and circles the basket
full of pollen for four times, the symbol of the four stages of life. The girls
will climb the hill and offers a prayer to the mountain spirit and when the
night falls, they will begin to dance beside the night fire until the dawn of
another morning. On last and final morning of the ceremony, the medicine man
will paint their faces with white clay to represent the goddess and they will
be given their woman names.
The
Rite of Passage: Blood Letting – Matasu Tribe, Papua New Guinea
The rite of
passage for the young boys of the Matasu Tribe in Papua New Guinea is one of
the painful coming of age ceremony in the world. They believed that everyone is contaminated by
a woman’s blood passed on to them from their mother through child birth. And to
be called a man they have to go through a bloodletting initiation in order to
get rid of their mother’s blood. The boys will go through a series of painful
rituals. The elders will shove sharp reeds into their nostrils until blood
comes out of their noses as well as constantly prick their tongues to get rid
of contaminated food made by the women. It is only after they survived the
ceremony that they will be called warriors and men.
Ceremonial Presentation of a young Filipina
In the Philippines, a family will prepare a formal ball for
the coming of age for a young 18 year old girl. It is often lavishly prepared
especially in some family with social class. It is when a young girl is
presented to the community which symbolizes as an announcement that she is
ready to be wooed or persuaded by the gentlemen. This was adapted from the Mexican-American
practice of public presentation which called Quinceañera
or Debut. During the celebration the Debutant with her friends, usually called
the 18 roses (boys) and 18 candles (girls) will dance the cotillion. Often the
status of the family will be judged according to how much they spend for the
occasion thus leaving some of the family with a big credit to pay after the
ball. Nowadays, group celebration is becoming more and more popular in the
upper and middle class families where they can all join and share the expenses
together to celebrate their young daughters coming of age announcement.
The
Rite of Passage: Tuli (Circumcision) Boys Rite of Passage – Philippines
Tuli
or circumcision is one of the rites most commonly practice among families in
the Philippines. Every summer when young boys turn 9-12, they will have to go
through the painful process of tuli. Although at present most hospitals perform
the same procedure right after the child is born, in the provinces of the
Philippines the ritual is still practice and is usually done by the elders of
the village trained to perform the procedure. It is usually performed along the
river and is privately done by the males since they believe that the procedure
should never be seen by the women. The procedure begins with the boys chewing
guava shoots then the elders will remove the foreskin of the male genitalia. The
chewed guava shoots will then be applied to the area to speed up the healing
process as well as bathe in the sea. In the Philippines being circumcised is
perceived as a sign of manhood. Therefore, every summer boys dressed in oversized
T-shirts are a common scene, a sign of which a boy has been given the rites to
manhood.
Perhaps the rites of passage may have changed over the years and may vary from one culture to another. Current trends among young people may have changed and traditional practices may have been perceived to some as non-relevant. But somehow the "passage" may have played an important role as to there is a rightful awareness that another phase of ones life has finally come to an end and therefore one must proceed to take another social role.
What could be the current trends and practices that can be perceived as a rite of passage?
Perhaps the rites of passage may have changed over the years and may vary from one culture to another. Current trends among young people may have changed and traditional practices may have been perceived to some as non-relevant. But somehow the "passage" may have played an important role as to there is a rightful awareness that another phase of ones life has finally come to an end and therefore one must proceed to take another social role.
What could be the current trends and practices that can be perceived as a rite of passage?
Reference
February
14, 2012 1:42 PM GMT.
World's Most Painful Rituals. International Business Times. January 20, 2013,
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/298332/20120214/painful-rituals-world.htm
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