rites-of-passage
Life stage markers
Rites of passage are ceremonies or experiences marking transitions between life stages—birth, puberty, marriage, death.
Anthropologists use the term for formal rituals in traditional societies, but it extends to any significant transitional experience: Getting your driver's license is a rite of passage for American teenagers.
The singular rite of passage is equally common.
Formal admission ceremony
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
- anointingCeremonial oil application
circumcision · scarification · tattooing · piercing · baptism · confirmation · ordination · coronation
Youth becoming adulthood
- pubertySexual development stage
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- adulthoodState of being grown
- milestoneNotable event marking progress
transition · maturation · graduation · quinceañera · debut · debutante · walkabout · menarche
Marriage rite and feast
- betrothalFormal marriage agreement
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
- dowryMarital property transfer
- bride-pricePayment for marriage rights
henna · mehndi · bachelorette · vows · nuptials · union · consummation · honeymoon
Of a clan
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- communityCollective of connected people
- lineageDescent from progenitors
heritage · Maasai · Aboriginal · Amazonian · Polynesian · African · Samoan · potlatch
initiation
Formal admission ceremony
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
anointing · circumcision · scarification · tattooing · piercing · baptism · confirmation · ordination · coronation · investiture
coming-of-age
Youth becoming adulthood
- pubertySexual development stage
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- adulthoodState of being grown
milestone · transition · maturation · graduation · quinceañera · debut · debutante · walkabout · menarche · threshold
wedding
Marriage rite and feast
- betrothalFormal marriage agreement
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
- dowryMarital property transfer
bride-price · henna · mehndi · bachelorette · vows · nuptials · union · consummation · honeymoon · handfasting
tribal
Of a clan
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- communityCollective of connected people
lineage · heritage · Maasai · Aboriginal · Amazonian · Polynesian · African · Samoan · potlatch · seclusion
funeral
Service honoring the dead
wake · memorial · eulogy · vigil · shroud · ashes · interment · afterlife · ancestor · grief
rites-of-passagedaily grind
Wearisome regular routine
stasis · routine tasks · stagnation · ordinary life · humdrum
rite, rites, ritual, rituals, ritualism, ritualistic, ritually, pass, passage