Coming of age rituals have been passed down from generation to generation and whether these rituals are a necessity has been questionable. Most people would argue that coming of age rituals are just a way to keep their culture, but it is more than that. Coming of age rituals help build new characteristics that would be beneficial to them in the future. These rituals not only benefit character but also can be cathartic for the person doing the ritual. Coming of age rituals allow for the children who are coming of age to make their parents proud. To really judge whether a coming of age ritual is necessary, a person must look at these rituals through a different eye.
Coming of age rituals are supposed to represent a change that has occurred
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Some children feel as if they are being forced into participating in a coming of age ritual. In Zorro, Regina decides to not tell Bernardo and Diego that the reason for their trip was so they could participate in the vision quest ritual (Allende 72). Although a child may feel obligated to participate in the ritual, the end result would make a parent proud. An example of this was when Alejandro De La Vega noticed that his boy was “turning into the heir he had dreamed of from the day the boy was born”(Allende 82). When children who change from the ritual are noticed by their parents, their parents get a sense of pride for their child. In some cases such as the Seijin-no-Hi, a celebration occurs after the ceremony where they are able to be celebrated among friends and family (Pfeffer and Nunez 2014). Coming of age rituals will be passed down and although they will alter, they will always be something that should be experienced. These rituals can make a difference to the characteristics the person will obtain. It could help cleanse the past of the person who undergoes the ritual. Parents will be proud of their kids for becoming a better person. Coming of age ritual from all cultures were created as a marker for the children to become adults, and the ritual may not be necessary, but it definitely is