Lots of cultures have a special ceremony that marks the transition from teen to adult. It's both a celebration of a major life landmark and an acknowledgment that the celebrant is a part of the mystical society of grownups. In cultures without such a ceremony, other major life landmarks are celebrated instead.

SexAsRiteOfPassage is a subtrope. For other kinds of rites and rituals that earns you membership into a group of people, see InitiationCeremony.
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!!Fictional Rites

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* The decision of gender in {{Simoun}}.

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[[folder: Film ]]

* ''FlashGordon'' (1980). A young Arborean man is initiated into adulthood through the "test of manhood", which involves [[HandInTheHole sticking your arm into a stump]] and hoping you don't get stung by the monster inside.
* StarWars gives us a glimpse of what an Apprentice needs to go through in order to become a Jedi: in the ''Empire Strikes Back'', Luke makes a journey into a cave and strikes down Darth Vader, but is surprised to find that the face beneath the Dark Lord's mask is his own. The ExpandedUniverse explores this in detail.
* ''{{Warriors}}'' has a gang whose members must first get punched out without flinching or screaming.

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[[folder: Literature ]]

* Alexei Panshin's SF novel ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_Passage Rite of Passage]]''. 14-year-old children on a starship must go through a Trial before being considered adults: surviving on a hostile colony planet for 30 days with minimal equipment.
* In ''[[{{TheGiver}} The Giver]]'', getting assigned a job is an important rite that determines the rest of a person's life; being assigned the unusual job of Giver is what marks Jonas as special in the community.
* In the ''Farseers'' trilogy, mention is made of a ceremony.
* The agony box trial in ''{{Dune}}''.
* In the ''Liveship Traders'' books, girls aged thirteen or fourteen "come out" (no, still not like that) at the summer ball, which is pretty much a debutante ball. After this, they are expected to act (and allowed to dress) like adult women.
* In the EarthseaTrilogy novel ''A Wizard of Earthsea'', the mage Ogion the Silent gives Duny his TrueName of "Ged" in a coming of age ceremony.
* In the ''WomenOfTheOtherworld'' series, witches much undergo a special ceremony after their first period, but before their second to unlock their full power. Failure to do so leaves the witch with the same power levels she had as a child. Unfortunately for Paige, in ''Dime Store Magic'', she learns that the rites she was taught was actually a [[{{Nerf}} nerfed]] version of the real thing. The clear implication was that , somewhere along the way, the witch elders intentionally altered the ceremony to ensure none of their number could grow too powerful, hence bringing unwanted attention on the rest. She uses the real thing on her ward, Savannah.
* In the novel ''Nation'' by TerryPratchett when a boy comes of age he is left on an island and must construct a canoe and get back to his village as a rite of passage, to receive his adult soul so the tribe believes. Mau is on his way home when the tsunami hits, which is why he's [[LastOfHisKind the only survivor]].

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[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* [[StarTrek Klingons]] who reach the Age of Ascension must walk through a gauntlet of warriors who jab him with pain sticks.

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[[folder: Tabletop Gaming ]]

* ''ForgottenRealms'' being highly developed setting, there are such cultural details:
** Drow has [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Blooding The Blooding]]. ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
** Rashemen has dajemma or darjemma -- the quest or wandering a year or more long that young Rashemaar people take in early adulthood. It's not an absolute requirement: e.g. it's cancelled in the times of war. Obviously some are dead or lost, but those who return has a valuable out-land experience.

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[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In ''{{Drowtales}}'', the Sarghress clan has a ''Blood Rite'' which is probably based on ''The Blooding''.
* ''GunnerkriggCourt'': [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=150 Regional fairies has their own standards]]...

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[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The ''StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Yesteryear" introduced the [[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Kahs-wan kahs-wan]], an ordeal in which Vulcan children must survive in the desert for 10 days by themselves with no supplies to prove their courage and strength.

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!!RealLife Rites

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* The "red beans and rice" meal is referenced in KodomoNoOmocha when Sana reassures an adult that she's old enough to know shame.

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[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

* [[http://www.florestica.com/ukuonji/oneshot/rbar/index.htm Red Beans and Rice]] a RanmaOneHalf FanFic that briefly explores the question of "just how female is Ranma, anyway"?

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[[folder: Film ]]

* ''SixteenCandles''.
* In ''GoneWithTheWind'', Scarlett scandalizes everyone at the debutante ball by showing up in a red dress instead of virginal white.
* Ditto ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Jezebel]]'' from the movie of the same name.
* The new ''StarskyAndHutch'' movie has the heroes pretending to be a performer at a Bar Mitzvah in order to infiltrate a suspect's home.
* In ''KeepingTheFaith'', the preparation leading up to a Bar Mitzvah is shown as well as the Mitvah itself.

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[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* A debutante ball happened on ''GilmoreGirls''.
* Spike TV's ''{{Manswers}}'' once did a "what rite of adulthood is most likely to kill you?" segment focusing on these kinds of ceremonies. (Answer: strapping a bamboo tube filled with fireworks to your crotch and hoping you don't lose a limb or worse.)

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[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Japan has the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seijin_shiki Coming of Age Day]] for reaching twenty and the eating of Red Beans And Rice for a girl's first menarche.
* America (and other parts of the western world) has the Sweet Sixteen; less formally, getting your first car (representing freedom and responsibility), turning the age of consent, [[SexAsRiteOfPassage losing your virginity]], turning 21 (or being old enough to legally drink), and graduating from high school and/or college are also seen as major steps towards adulthood.
* Women of high society mark their first formal debut in high society with debutante balls. The PimpedOutDress is an important part of this. Also called a [[HaveAGayOldTime coming-out party]].
* Latin American girls get the Fifteen Years ("Quinceañera" in the USA, "XV Años" elsewhere) and the Catholic rituals (see below).
* Cultural and Ethnic Jews have the Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah at the age of 13, to symbolize that the celebrant is old enough to understand the Torah (the Books of the Law). Being roped in as a performer at a Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah is seen as one of those jobs you have to do to make ends meet, but not a dignified gig, just barely above being a birthday party clown.
* Catholics have Confirmation, to, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin confirm]] that the baptism they were given as infants has led to becoming a full member of the church. Unlike some of the others, it isn't tied to a specific birthday; it usually happens around eighth grade. Other Christian denominations have similar rites.
* Muslims have the circumcision of both boys and girls (though this is rare outside Africa and very controversial) at age 12.
* Stone Age societies (real or fictional) are presented as having ridiculously frightening rites of passage involving stinging insects, piercing of [[GroinAttack nether regions]], psychosomatic drugs, and so on and so forth.

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