Intoxication and Rite of Passage to Adulthood in Norway

Abstract

The author describes young Norwegians' use of alcohol in “russefeiring,” a special rite of passage to adulthood in the form of prolonged graduation parties. In this ritual, the young people wear special clothes, celebrate, and drink beer and spirits from the 1st through the 17th of May. The article argues that young people have invented rites of passage in which expressive individualism is stressed as a value. The article discusses the use of symbolic anthropology and sociology and field methods in research relating to this kind of ritual alcohol use and intoxication. Theoretically, the focus is on studying alcohol use as a ritual practice. Use of alcohol can be defined as a key symbol in these ritual processes, offering an opportunity to communicate meaning between members of the society and culture concerned.