Week 11- Rite of Passage

A rite of passage that I have recently witnessed in the United States is the age of 21 celebration. In the United States, the legal drinking age for alcohol is 21 years. Therefore, one's 21st birthday is a monumental one. All of the friends and family help to celebrate with the birthday girl or boy. Generally, these parties are separate. The family celebration is more formal, though still celebratory. The family takes the family member out to a nice dinner, where they pay for the alcoholic beverage of the family member's choice. It seems that the females usually pick out a fruity drink of some sorts, often a margarita or martini, while the males generally go for beer or shots of vodka or whiskey. Afterwards, however, the 21 year old goes out with his or her friends to celebrate the important and long awaited rite of passage. This generally involves the activity of "bar hopping", where the group goes from one bar to another, getting an alcoholic beverage at each one. Many times this includes taking shots of alcohol, while other times it involves less toxic drinks. There is often music at the bars, so the celebration also can include dancing. This ritual can go well into the night and early morning, where the birthday boy or girl does not usually get home until at least 2:00am or later. If there was too much alcohol intake throughout the night, this can often lead to the hangover, which is a sickness of the stomach and head which can sometimes include vomiting. Though their brain my be fuzzy and throbbing, the now 21 year old has gone through the "coming of drinking age" rite of passage, one that, if not too much alcohol was drank, will be remembered.