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Rites of Passage Essay

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Rites of Passage Every day someone enters into a rite of passage whether it be by starting school, a new job, marriage, a confirmation or communion rites of passage are common place. Two totally different cultures have totally different rituals and rites of passage. The Apache would most definitely have incredibly unique rituals compared to rural Maine and the catholic cultures therein. The best way to see the differences is to compare the two different cultures.

Each ritual occurs in a holy place, the Apache on ritual grounds and the Confirmation rights at a specific congregation. The person who is about to participate in confirmation has gone to months of classes to prepare for this day, CCD it is titled and it is typically on a …show more content…

The whole community reaffirms their identity through the dance. Saturday is specifically dedicated to the godmother while Sunday is the godfather’s day. The girl, while awake is never allowed to stop dancing, even on her knees at the end when she has to prove that she is fully ready for womanhood. She is painted on her face and must stand up only with the aid of eagle feathers. The gifts that are given are of varying value, but they definitely don’t all have to do with the religious purpose, TV’s VCR’s and other electronic devices are given here.

The confirmation is a much different ritual. It is not individual. There is a whole group of kids going through the ritual at the same time. They all have sponsors standing next to, or behind them during the whole ritual. The main difference of immediate comparison to be made is that of the girl speaking and saying she will remember the ritual for the rest of her life. Here, about 8 years later, I don’t even remember specifics about the rite of confirmation. The family time had during a ritual such as this can not be had during normal everyday experiences. The whole lot to be confirmed marches in, marriage style and lines up in the first two rows of the church. The priest then says a few words and the confirmation mass continues as normal mass. With communion and all the normal prayers from the bible along with a few readings picked specifically for confirmation

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