Wesley Carey: Rites de passage

In "Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture," Victor and Edith Turner discuss rites de passage, or rites of transition, which is a ritual event that marks a persons transition from a previous status to a new status. During this time, a person experiences three phases: separation, limen or margin, and aggregation. During the first phase, the person is separated from whatever social structure previously defined their lives and are cut away from their former selves. During the second phase, the person enters a state of liminality, in which they are on the threshold between different worlds. During this state of liminality, all social structures collapse and a state of communitas forms. People forgot about their social identities and mix together as equals, with no member being held or regarded higher than any other member. Communitas is unique because people who have little in common with each other, and who under different circumstances may never associate with one another, can suddenly become very good friends in a short amount of time. The third phase, aggregation, signifies a completion of one's journey, and a re-entering into social structures with a new status or identity. Pilgrimages provide a good illustration of this process, and each stage can be clearly identified and examined.