Coming of Age: ceremonies and rituals

[Trenchfriend]

This is another thing, that interests me.

Are there these super cringy east-german style "youth dedication"-ceremonies at age 14 as alternative to the protestant confirmation in the US, too?

Had mine in 1999, classic stupid GDR youth ceremony, of course without the political crap including solemn pledge.

But this nowadays commercial crap is now happening all around Germany, because of east-german associations, bringing it to the old West.

The sense of it is gone a long long time ago, because todays kids are neither out of school at this point, nor are they financially independent or becoming their first ID card (as they did in GDR age 14).

If I would have kids, I would never press them to participate, if they don't want.

Celebrating just because of the end of childhood and begin of the age of criminal responsebility?

 

[Frunobulax]

If I read you correctly, no we in the US don't have official "coming of age" ceremonies as practiced through an official government channel. Beyond graduations (which are more numerous now - I never "graduated" from elementary school), that is.

Coming of age ceremonies in the US take place mostly through private associations and groups, or religious ceremonies (Bar/Bat Mitvah, Confirmation, etc.). Boy Scout merit badges are an example. Informally, there are "rites of passage" as there are in all societies, whether it be getting your driver's license or gutting your first deer.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Coming of age ceremonies in the US take place mostly through private associations and groups, .

Yeah, that's what I meaned. Not government thing.

 

[Frunobulax]

Yeah, that's what I meaned. Not government thing.

For the ladies, the Quinceañera, which is a Mexican/Hispanic coming of age ceremony celebrating the 15th birthday of a young lady, seems to be slowly seeping into the rest of society.

 

[Edward]

For the ladies, the Quinceañera, which is a Mexican/Hispanic coming of age ceremony celebrating the 15th birthday of a young lady, seems to be slowly seeping into the rest of society.

Interesting. That's a new one in my experience, though I'm sure it will arrive here eventually if they can market it. When my parents were younger, there was the "21st birthday, key to the door" as the big one. The eighteenth birthday has now taken over as the official threshhold to adult hood (most probably since the voting age in the UK dropped from 21 to 18 in 1969), though of course both are now "big birthdays" for which many people are encouraged to spend a lot of money celebrating. From what I gather, a younger generation have now imported the US "Sweet sixteen" tradition as well, which wasn't a thing in my day at all.

The UK's Jewish population is only about 400,000 strong, most of it clustered into a handful of North London boroughs, so Bar/Bat Mitvahs, while obvious big within that community, aren't something you hear much about UK-wide. There are some loose equivalencies in Christian churches that involve a switch from a child to an adult member, though as those of us who actively practice a religion of any sort are very much small minorities here, there's nothing that has a sort of uniform status across the whole of society such as to be normative in that manner. I suspect in part this is down to England being the only part of the UK to have an Established Church, and at that it's not one that has a strong impact on the day to day life of non-members (unlike the Germanic countries, we don't for example have a 'church tax' and such).

I suppose to some extent the biggest rituals around coming of age in the UK are probably state examinations at 18 and especially those taken at 16, at least in terms of commonality of experience.

 

[Harp]

I suppose to some extent the biggest rituals around coming of age in the UK are probably state examinations at 18 and especially those taken at 16, at least in terms of commonality of experience.

Draft notice sent certified mail signature receipt request, a one-way ticket to fun and games.

White mail privilege.

 

[Edward]

Draft notice sent certified mail signature receipt request, a one-way ticket to fun and games.

White mail privilege.

For the WW2 / Korea / Nam generations, geography allowing, I can well imagine that having a huge impact.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I had mine at fifteen. My mother looked at me and said "next week, you start paying rent."

 

[belfastboy]

If I read you correctly, no we in the US don't have official "coming of age" ceremonies as practiced through an official government channel. Beyond graduations (which are more numerous now - I never "graduated" from elementary school), that is.

Coming of age ceremonies in the US take place mostly through private associations and groups, or religious ceremonies (Bar/Bat Mitvah, Confirmation, etc.). Boy Scout merit badges are an example. Informally, there are "rites of passage" as there are in all societies, whether it be getting your driver's license or gutting your first deer.

or first Starbucks Latte!

 

[belfastboy]

For the WW2 / Korea / Nam generations, geography allowing, I can well imagine that having a huge impact.

Enjoyed a short break on one of our southern Gulf Islands and drove past an older homestead started by draft dodgers late '60s into the 70's.

 

[belfastboy]

If I read you correctly, no we in the US don't have official "coming of age" ceremonies as practiced through an official government channel. Beyond graduations (which are more numerous now - I never "graduated" from elementary school), that is.

Coming of age ceremonies in the US take place mostly through private associations and groups, or religious ceremonies (Bar/Bat Mitvah, Confirmation, etc.). Boy Scout merit badges are an example. Informally, there are "rites of passage" as there are in all societies, whether it be getting your driver's license or gutting your first deer.

My friend Terry Taylor (wherever you are!) totaled his mother's car driving home from a successful driver's exam. He won, by a landslide, the ultimate dubious honour of owning the shortest duration of driver's license possession ever. As a group we didn't know whether to laugh or cry for him........so we laughed.

 

[Trenchfriend]

@Edward
The thread-title can be switched to "Coming-of-age ceremony?".

Thanks.

 

[Frunobulax]

or first Starbucks Latte!

Then I didn't come of age until my 50s, LOL.

 

[belfastboy]

Then I didn't come of age until my 50s, LOL.

When I was 17 I took my girlfriend to an Italian restaurant and in a failed attempt at sophistication ordered an expresso. I got this big mug with about an ounce or two of black liquid that I had NO idea what to do with. Funny she continued to date me for some unknown reason.

 

[Zombie_61]

If I read you correctly, no we in the US don't have official "coming of age" ceremonies as practiced through an official government channel. Beyond graduations (which are more numerous now - I never "graduated" from elementary school), that is.

Coming of age ceremonies in the US take place mostly through private associations and groups, or religious ceremonies (Bar/Bat Mitvah, Confirmation, etc.). Boy Scout merit badges are an example. Informally, there are "rites of passage" as there are in all societies, whether it be getting your driver's license or gutting your first deer.

Less so for young men, but young ladies here in the U.S. are often treated to a "sweet sixteen" party to celebrate their 16th birthday, or in the Hispanic/Latino community a Quinceañera to celebrate a young lady's 15th birthday.

As for us guys, the only real form of celebration I can think of is being taken out to a strip joint on our 21st birthday to have our first legal alcoholic beverage while watching ladies of varying ages and levels of attractiveness take off their clothes to the beat of some lame "Metal" song that stopped getting air time on the local radio stations a decade or more before.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Some more contemporary “coming of age” celebrations should be celebrated by parents....
You’re old enough to pay your own cell phone bill, your auto insurance and the final...you’re old enough not to live in my basement.
Just a thought.
B

 

[Frunobulax]

Some more contemporary “coming of age” celebrations should be celebrated by parents....
You’re old enough to pay your own cell phone bill, your auto insurance and the final...you’re old enough not to live in my basement.
Just a thought.
B

Coming of age..,

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Coming of age..,

Hilarious!!!
The “they didn’t finesse me” moment.

 

[GHT]

Informally, there are "rites of passage" as there are in all societies, whether it be getting your driver's license or gutting your first deer.

Mine were much more carnal than that.

 

[Frunobulax]

Mine were much more carnal than that.

You've slept with a deer?