First Menstruation Rituals in Contemporary Western Society

By Michael Houseman
English

This article describes and analyses rituals celebrating a young woman’s first menstruation in contemporary Western society. Unlike feminine initiations in other societies, these rites of passage neither mediate the young woman’s access to adult status, nor do they consist in a formal recognition of her ability to bear children. In providing her with the experience of an enhanced feminine identity, that of a creative, spiritual being, they establish her as an independent agent within a community of vital and responsible women.

Keywords

  • ritual
  • menstruation
  • neopaganism
  • initiation
  • women
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