Rites of Passage
The three stages of a rite of passage according to Van Gennep
separation, liminality, incorporation
What is the shawl worn by Jewish males during prayer?
The tallit
What is following the mitzvot?
Bar Mitzvah emphasises this covenantal responsibility to God.
The anthropologist who first studied rites of passage systematically.
Van Gennep
After his Bar Mitzvah, a boy is counted in this important Jewish practice.
Minyan
What is a Bar Mitzvah?
Jewish initiation ritual into adulthood when a boy is 13
over and under the shoulder (across the chest)
In Hinduism, the Sacred Thread reflects entry into this stage of life dedicated to study.
Brahmacharya (student phase)
Turner’s category that refers to how adherents themselves explain ritual.
Exegetical meaning
The Sacred Thread allows Hindu boys to study these sacred texts.
Vedas
What is the Upanayana?
The ceremony that initiates boys into the study of sacred texts.
Turner's term for the practical function of a ritual
Operational meaning
What are the four core beliefs within Hinduism?
Ashrama, dharma, karma, moksha
A model that divides rituals into three stages of transformation.
Van Gennep’s tripartite model
Both rituals symbolise the transition from childhood to this.
adulthood/responsibility
What is liminality?
The stage of “in-between” where old identity is lost but the new one is not yet gained.
Jewish boys often begin wearing these small black boxes with Torah verses inside.
Tefillin
The Sacred Thread ceremony reflects the Hindu value of duty, also known as this.
Dharma
What is latent meaning?
This term describes hidden or subconscious meanings of ritual symbols.
Which 3 castes can participate in the Upanayana?
Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), and Vaishyas (merchants and tradesmen).
This scholar introduced the concept of communitas to describe bonds formed during ritual.
Victor Turner
What is often recited during the Sacred Thread ceremony?
Gayatri Mantra
Analyse how both rituals reinforce each tradition’s worldview by linking human responsibility with the divine.
Bar Mitzvah stresses covenantal responsibility to God through mitzvot, while the Sacred Thread links dharma and study of Vedas as a path to spiritual liberation, both embedding divine-human duty
Van Gennep’s model emphasises movement through stages, while Turner focuses on this experience.
liminality and communitas
To what extent do initiation rituals have a lasting impact on adherents’ religious identity, given modern secular influences?
while initiation rituals remain powerful markers of identity and community, secularisation and cultural adaptation mean their significance may vary, yet they still anchor adherents in core beliefs and traditions