Freemasonry initiation. 18th century

Initiation is a ceremony at the entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It can also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community.Rites of passage such as Christian baptism or confirmation, or Jewish bar or bat mitzvah, or graduation from school, are initiations. Acceptance into a fraternal organization like the freemasons or religious order like the Benedictines is also an initiation. A person taking the initiation ceremony is called an initiate.