Rites of passage in childhood and adolescence come with more frequency than perhaps any other time of life. There's the first tooth, first step, first day at school, first disco, first kiss. And, despite the drop in vocations and the general drifting away from churches of every creed, religious rites of passage are still significant milestones in young people's lives.

The most prevalent of these in this country is still First Communion. Every Saturday for the last few weeks, small girls in elaborate white dresses and boys in tiny waistcoats have been visible on family outings. Clothes for Communion children - particularly girls - are regularly accused of eclipsing the actual ceremony by their excesses, such as in the following example.

One child was spotted in a Coolock church last year wearing a battery-operated tiara on her veil, which she switched on after receiving Communion. The tiara then lit up with the words Jesus Is In Me, emblazoned halo-like in red upon the child's head: eye-catching example of a public profession of faith, or exquisite bad taste?

But First Communion is not the only religious rite of passage observed in this country. Fasting for Ramadan (the ninth month in the Muslim calendar), full immersion baptism as a Baptist, and confirmation in the Church of Ireland are just some of the ceremonies associated with other creeds. But what do they actually mean to the young people?