Ruminating on coming of age amongst the students.
This past weekend my close friend and flatmate turned 21, and with that came the ups and downs of hosting a 21st party. Although the extent of my helpfulness was a spot of impromptu vacuuming the day before, the workload pre-bonanza could give a royal wedding a run for its money. Blood, sweat, and a lot of hard-earned cash was funneled into the event – and although it certainly paid off, it can’t help but make you wonder how the 21st birthday became such a big deal. The obvious answer? Celebrating the aging individual’s newfound ability to legally drink. Although we poke fun at those overseas for having to wait the extra 3 years before breaking sobriety – us kiwis had the extra wait from 1914-1969 as well. Luckily it was quickly lowered to 20 in 1969, before being lowered again to the 18th birthday minimum age we all know and love today.
Oddly enough, we can trace possible origins of the 21st birthday milestone back to the days of knights and castles. Young boys hoping to achieve knighthood would have to toil through three stages, these “stages” being based 7 years apart on 3 separate ages. As you’ve likely already suspected, one of these ceremonious times comes on the boy’s 21st birthday – when he is officially dubbed a knight.
Although nowadays we don’t see the queen popping in to knight drunken frat boys after they’ve finished a yardie, the tradition of twenty firsts carries on. Perhaps it’s a reflection on how despite how much has changed over the decades, the life of any human who manages to make it over the age of twenty is something to be celebrated. Or maybe after all these years, we all still simply want a sick-as party.
