The rites of passage, the ritual of confirmation and the Protestant ethic in Lutheran and Pomeranian context

This paper discusses the practise of rites of passage in Lutheran communities in Serra dos Tapes, a southern region in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The main rites hence elucidated are Bap-tism, Confirmation, Marriage and Burial, that are manifested through a historical process of Pome-ranian religious and cultural adaptation to the local context (Rodolpho, 2004). The main focus of the study is on the rite of Confirmation, which, linked to the Protestant ethic (Weber, 2004), resulted in early school evasion and a strong dedication to a job, facts related to the Lutheran religion, since Church teachings proclaimed work evaluation as substantial for human development.