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Initiation rites are particular rites of passage in which individuals are inducted into theor social group as full members.


Religious initiation rites[]

  • Baptism
  • First Eucharist and First Confession (especially First Communion in Catholicism)
  • Confirmation (Catholics and mainline protestant churches)
  • Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah in Judaism
  • Circumcision, mainly in Judaism (Bris) and Islam
  • Missionary (LDS Church) in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Saṃskāra a series of Sacraments in Hinduism.
  • Shinbyu in Theravada Buddhism
  • Rumspringa among the Amish
  • Vision quest in some Native American cultures
  • "Quinceañera" many who celebrate include a Catholic mass
  • Coming of Age in Unitarian Universalism

Coming of age initiation rites[]

  • Bar Mitzvah
  • Breeching
  • Débutante ball
  • Dokimasia
  • First haircut
  • Genpuku among the samurai
  • Guan Li
  • Graduation
  • Poy Sang Long
  • Quinceañera
  • Russ in Norway
  • Scarification and various other physical endurances
  • Sweet Sixteen in the United States and Canada
  • Sevapuneru or Turmeric ceremony in South India to mark menarche
  • Etoro tribe and Baruya in Papua New Guinea where young boys must begin ingesting their elders semen, and then stop doing it at a certain age.


Other initiation rites[]

  • Secular coming of age ceremonies for non-religious youngsters who want a rite of passage comparable to the religious rituals like Confirmation
  • Walkabout
  • Batizados in Capoeira
  • Black Belt Grading in Martial Arts

Use of cosmetic techniques[]