Rites of Passage

This page is part of “Which Human Needs Are Met by Religions and Spirituality”.

Spiritual traditions mark the major transitions of life — birth, coming of age, marriage, illness, death — with ritual. These rites publicly acknowledge a change in who a person is, not just to the individual but to the community around them. This meets a need distinct from daily practice or communal belonging: the need to have life’s turning points recognized and held, rather than passing unmarked and unwitnessed.