A Rite Of Passage

A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a person's social status.


According to Van Gennep, rites of passage have three phases : separation, liminality, and incorporation.

In the first phase, people withdraw from the group and begin moving from one place or status to another.

In the third phase, they re-enter society, having completed the rite.


The liminal phase is the period between states, during which people have left one place or state but haven't yet entered or joined the next. It is a state of limbo.