What are rites of passage?

Answer 1

Rite of passage often refers to a formal period of testing for young men and women, the successful completion of which allows them to be accepted into the world of adults. They most often have a connection to spirituality, or to the practices of specific religions, like Bar Mitzvah for Jewish boys and Bat Mitzvah for Jewish girls. The rite of Confirmation in some of the more sacramentally oriented churches is similar. In a broader sense, rites of passage can be thought of as any event or period of abrupt and unexpected life transformation that brings the person to a deeper and more mature understanding of what it is to be alive.

Many world cultures have various practices related to the maturing of young people into adulthood, and many involve some rigorous, even harrowing requirements.