The online Britannica defines a rite of passage as a “ceremonial event, existing in all historically known societies, that marks the passage from one social or religious status to another.”
In the same article, the authors offer more specifics: “Many of the most important and common rites of passage are connected with the biological crises, or milestones, of life—birth, maturity, reproduction, and death—that bring changes in social status and, therefore, in the social relations of the people concerned. Other rites of passage celebrate changes that are wholly cultural, such as initiation into societies composed of people with special interests—for example, fraternities.”
