Blog #3

This week certainly had the most interesting lecture and discussion so far. 
This week focused on the aspect of rituals in cultures. We defined rituals as habit and behaviors that communicate ideas and values to both participants and observers, most of which we defined as specialized events that entail ceremonial acts such as oral performances, dances, special foods, dramatic lightings, ceremonial attire. Rituals are highly organized and structured within their communities. These rituals can then be broken down into to sub groups 1)a rite of passage or 2) initiations. A rite of passage marks an important stage in someone's life, usually signifying the transformation from childhood to adulthood. two examples of this would be bar mitzvahs for those in the Jewish community, or a quinceanera in Latin American cultures. Initiations on the other hand signify loyalty and respect to rules and are seen in gangs, colleges (fraternity or sorority), and the military. examples of initiations include pledging or hazing and can often times be violent (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO4xwGPKPb4).
A more innocent form of initiation can be seen in sports. In high school I played football, and a tradition at our high school is that the underclassmen carry the pads of the seniors during spring training.  Everyone did it and it integrated you into the special fraternity that is the football team.
A stranger right of passage we saw was that of the Sambia people of Papua New Guinea in the Secret of the Flute. The right of passage that transformed young men into fierce warriors involved drinking the semen of the elders. Although very strange and inappropriate by are culture, in the Sambia culture it is a sacred tradition that all men must adhere to.