User:Luo Yan

Chinese Coming-of-Age Ceremony

1.Introduction

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Rituals paly an indispensable role in human social interaction, embodying shared norms and customs. Life-cycle rituals——encompassing birth, coming-of-age, marriage, and funeeral ceremonies——carry profound cultural significance. As one such ritual, the coming-of-age ceremony marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. This article explores traditional and modern Chinese coming-of-age ceremonies and their contemporary relevance.

2.Traditional Coming-of-Age Ceremonies: Capping Ceremony(Guanli) and Hair-Pinning Ceremony(Jili)

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Traditional coming-of-age ceremony is a rite performed when youths reach adulthood, serving as a cornerstone of ancient adult education.Through this ceremony, society educates and admonishes young people, signifying their departure from parental protection and their new responsibilities. In China, the primary ceremonies are the Capping Ceremony(Guanli) for males and the Hair-Pinning Ceremony(Jili) for females. Though distinct, both share similar rituals and procedures.

2.1Capping Ceremony

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Capping Ceremony is the coming-of-age ceremony for aristocratic males. As recorded in Liji(Book of Rites), Qu Li Shang:" At the age of twenty, a man undergoes the Capping Ceremony called 'ruoguan', signifying that he has reaches adulthood but his body is still not fully robust." At 20, a father or elder brother would crown the youth with a cap in the ancestral temple before esteemed guests, symbolizing his entry into adulthood. Historically evolving from "male coming-of-age ritual"(Chengdingli), Capping Ceremony emerges during the Zhou Dynasty. Throughout the Han Dynasty, it emphasizes adult education, while the Ming Dynasty imbues it with political significance. After the Ming Dynasty, Capping Ceremony declines and eventually merges with wedding ceremonies by the early Republican era.

The traditional Capping Ceremony mainly includes the following procedures:

Divining an auspicious date; Notifying and instructing guests; Divining the chief guest

Several dyas before the Capping Ceremony, an auspicious date is determined through divination(using yarrow stalks or turtle shells) to express good wishes for the initiate. If the divined date is auspicious, it is adopted; if inauspicious, the divination is repeated until a favorable date is found. This process is known as "divining the auspicious date". The host then notifies the guests of the chosen date several dyas in advance and invites them to attend. After the invitees politely declines the first invitation as a formality, they accept the host's reinvitation. This ritual exchange is called "notifying and instructing the guests". Three days prior to the ceremony, a divination is performed to select the chief guest who would confer the caps on the initiate. The procedure mirrors that of divining the auspicious date, known as "divining the chief guest".

Displaying robes and vessels; Laying out mats; Threefold capping

Before the formal ceremony, the host first displays the robes, headgears and sacrificial offerings for the Capping Ceremony, then lays out the ceremonial mats north of the eastern steps in the ancestral temple——where the chief guest would confer the caps on the initiate. This precedes the core ritual: the threefold capping, in which the chief guest successively bestows three caps upon the initiate: first a black cloth cap, then a leather cap, and finally a ceremonial cap. The initiate also changes into three sets of matching robes. After each capping, the chief guest presents distinct blessings, symbolizing the initiate's progression toward adulthood. The escalating nobility of the robe in each capping stage is intended to make the initiate appreciate the journey to maturity.

The chief guest libates the initiate; Bestowing a courtesy name

After the Capping Ceremony concludes, the chief guest libates the initiate with ritual wine and offers congratulations, expressing expectations and blessings for the adult. The initiate then pays respect to his mother, bowing to express gratitude for her nurture. Following the libation, the chief guest bestows a countesy name upon the initiate. This sobriquet is typically used for peers addressing one another or juniors addressing elders, serving as a formal marker of respect.

Performing the ritual of salutation; Escorting the guests

Upon the conclusion of the formal Capping Ceremony, the initiate officially steps into adulthood. At this point, the newly capped adult performs the ritual of salutation to the guests, first paying respects to family members, then proceeding to meet the monarch, ministers, officials and local shcolars and gentry. This sequence of salutations——beginning with family and extending to the court and local community——symbolizes the initiate's transition from familial to social responsibility, marking the gradual assumption of adult roles. Finally, the host offers wine to the guests, presents gifts as tokens of gratitude, and escorts them to the gate of the ancestral temple, thus concluding the ritual.

2.2Hair-Pinning Ceremony

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Corresponding to the men's Capping Ceremony, the Hair-Pinning Ceremony is the coming-of-age ceremony for ancient Chinese women, commonly known as "topknot ceremony", emerging alongside the Capping Ceremony. "Receiving the hairpin" involves changing the juvenile haiestyle during the ceremony: the hair is coiled into a bun, wrapped with a black kerchief, and then fixed with a hairpin. The ceremony is presided over by the female head of the family, while an invited female guest places the hairpin on the maiden, signifying her adulthood and eligibility for marriage. After the ceremony, noblewomen typically receive adult education in the royal palace or clan ancestral hall, instruct in the "four female virtues": fude(moral conduct), furong(deportment), fugong(domestic skills), and fuyan(eloquence). These encompass the ethics for interacting with others, the manners for serving in-laws, and practical skills like needlework——essential for a wife in traditional society.

Following the Hair-Pinning Ceremony, young women are deemed eligible for marriage and assume responsibilities as newly adult members of the family, initiating their roles as wives and later mothers in their husband's households. Under the ancient Chinese patriarchal tradition, the Hair-Pinning Ceremony is typically conducted shortly before marriage. However, if a woman remains unbetrothed, she would still undergo the ritual at age twenty to mark her entry into adulthood. This practice highlights the greater flexibility in the timing of the Hair-Pinning Ceremony compared to the fixed age of twenty for the Capping Ceremony for males. Its procedures parallels that of the Capping Ceremony, including threefold hair-pinning, paying respects to elders, and bestowing blessings. The core threefold hair-pinning mirrors its male counterpart but with distinct specifics: instead of successive caps, the maiden receives hairpins of increasing elegance——a wooden pin, a jade pin, and finally a ceremonial pin——symbolizing her transition from girlhood to womanhood.

3.Modern Coming-of-Age Ceremony

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The modern 18-year-old coming-of-age ceremony originates in the 1990s. This innovative activity is quickly promoted by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and gradually developed into the "Coming-of-Age Ceremony" across all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. On December 18,1993, the first 18-year-old coimg-of-age ceremony was solemnly held in front of the People's Heroes Memorial Tower on the Bund in Shanghai. For more than three decades, this activity——centered on patriotic education and aimed at fostering adolescents' sense of social and moral responsibility upon reaching adulthood——has generated a strong social response. Take schools' coming-of-age ceremony as an example:

Passing through the door of adulthood, the door of talent, and the door of success

This tradition not only embodies expectations for students' growth but also contains rich cultural connotations. Firstly, "the door of adulthood" serves not just as a symbol in the coming-of-age ceremony, but as a reminder for students——alerting them to think independently and take responsibility for their actions. Secondly, "the door of talent" encapsulates the school's hopes for students' academic achievements, and encourages them to strive for continuous learning, enhance their comprehensive quality, and become useful members of society. Finally, "the door of success" not only commends students for their perseverance and courage to forge ahead but also expresses high expectations for their upcoming college entrance examination.

Flag-raising ceremony; Oath-taking; Presentation of the Constitution

As the primary front for cultural and ethical education, schools are committed to students' all-round development. The coming-of-age ceremony, as a part of schools' ritual education, conveys the nation's core socialist values to students through processes like the flag-raising ceremony, oath-taking, and presentation of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. This aims to nurture students' patriotic feelings and sense of ownership, while inspiring thier responsibility and mission wotard society and the country.

Gratitude to parents

Of all virtues, filial piety comes first. Influenced by Confucianism, "filial piety" is a highly valued cultural concept and supreme moral ethic in our tradition, permeating the entire educational process. Therefore, in the coming-of-age ceremony held by schools, this part embodies the national value orientation. It teaches students to be grateful for their parents' sacrifices and love, cultivates a sense of gratitude, makes them aware of the close bond with family and kinship, reminds them to assume their responsibilities as children, forters correct family values, and clarifies their relos and duties within the family.

4.Contemporary Significance of Coming-of-Age Ceremony

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In general, coming-of-age ceremony——both traditional and modern——is an indispensable component of Chinese culture. Closely tied to traditional cultual values, China's modern and traditional coming-of-age ceremonies are vital parts of the cultural heritage, representing individuals' growth and transition from childhood to adulthood. Both involve the performance of ritual actions and traditional etiquettes, as well as shifts in responsibility, roles, and social status. Studying the connections betwenn modern and traditional coming-of-age ceremonies helps us better understand their cultural and spiritual connotations, providing references and insights for improving modern coming-of-age ceremony. Meanwhile, drawing lessons from traditional coming-of-age ceremony can endow modern coming-of-age ceremony with deeper meaning and value, integrating historical wisdom into the present.