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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Worship and Ritual

Rite of passage

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/ˌraɪt əv ˈpæsɪdʒ/nounCommon term

In religious studies & theology, rite of passage means: A ritual that marks a person's move from one stage of life or social status to another, such as birth, coming of age, marriage or death.

In Turkish: geçiş ritüeli, geçiş töreni, geçiş ayini

How it is used

The anthropologist Arnold van Gennep introduced the idea in 1909, describing three phases: separation, transition and incorporation. Victor Turner later developed the idea of the liminal, in-between phase. Examples include baptism, circumcision, bar and bat mitzvah, weddings and funerals.

Example sentences

  1. Van Gennep divided every rite of passage into separation, transition and incorporation.

  2. In Turkey, circumcision is celebrated as a rite of passage for boys, often with a large family party.

Common collocations

  • rites of passage
  • a rite of passage into adulthood
  • funeral rites
  • liminal phase
  • ritualA set of actions, words or gestures performed in a fixed, repeated way, often with symbolic or religious meaning, such as a prayer service, a wedding or a funeral.
  • sacramentIn Christianity, a sacred rite believed to be a visible sign through which God's grace is given, such as baptism and the Eucharist.
  • sociology of religionThe branch of sociology that studies religion as a social phenomenon: how it shapes, and is shaped by, groups, institutions, power and social change.
  • phenomenology of religionAn approach to studying religion that describes religious phenomena as believers experience them, while setting aside the question of whether their claims are true.

More terms: Worship and Ritual

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