Is drinking wine acceptable in a religious ritual setting?

coffeehunter

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Please read the whole post: this isn't typical party drinking or experimenting that clearly shouldn't be in MG. This is a topic that involves wine in religious rituals (rite of passage).

I have a ritual tribe setting where the 11-year-old MC drinks a glass of wine as part of a rite of passage ritual. I wonder if this is acceptable in Upper MG.

I have three real-world examples that make me think kids are mature enough:
1) The Amazons have tribes where children drink wine prior to the age of eighteen.
2) In the past, particularly in Ancient Rome, children drank watered-down wine because the water was too bad to drink.
3) Children in Early Christian churches, such as Catholic, drink wine from a single cup for the rite of the Eucharist/communion, albeit it's a single gulp after receiving the host. This has been done for 2000 years. Protestant denominations typically drink grape juice, though not all. Catholicism is the largest denomination in America and the world, so it seems many children and families are familiar with ritualistic wine and wouldn't fuss at all.

Its effect on the MC:
1) He gets a little dizzy. He goes outside in the rainforest to use the bathroom, and he sees a monster in the trees. He's not sure if he's imagining it or not (it's real!). He runs back inside in a fright. A lady helps him not to go outside at night, helps him to his bed, tells him he did well with his rite of passage, and wishes him goodnight.

My assumption then is, since it is drunk for a ritual, it is okay, because many children already drink wine at mass and live on. They're mature about it. For those who aren't familiar, they're educated a little bit that it's used in religious rituals.

So, I'm curious if ritual drinking has been done before in MG. For example, a kid drinking wine at church--that's all this is basically, though in this story he drinks an entire restaurant-size glass instead of one gulp notably seen in churches.

I thought I'd get a general consensus here. Thank you!
 
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novicewriter

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Hmm, I know that Stella By Starlight featured church rituals, but it's been a while since I've read it. So, I can't remember specifics, whether or not the wine drinking ritual was omitted from the story or not. I think I might remember the MC and her brother eating the church wafers and talking about how they were baptized.

I think I remember the MC in Front Desk, briefly mentioning that she'd tried a sip of wine offered by her parents, during one meal (due to their cultural celebration).
 

coffeehunter

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A writer friend said I could share her thought:

"Alcohol is one of mankind’s earliest inventions. It has been used as payment for wages and a safe nourishment when water wasn’t clean. As long as a minor is drinking for religious purposes or under the SAFE guidance of an adult then consumption is perfectly alright. You might want to remind them that most children in Europe grow up drinking wine and other alcohol so that they will know how to handle it when they are on their own."
 
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novicewriter

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Yes, that seems to possibly be the standard that the publishing industry uses when alcohol is mentioned in MG novels (i.e. mentioned briefly during religious rituals; ethnic, family traditions, etc.).

It's not that people aren't aware of it (I grew up being taught about alcohol by my parents as a child, told it was a European tradition to give some to children, and given some to try as a kid), it's just that there are publishing conventions, guidelines, and themes for what's considered to be acceptable and appropriate for MG, YA, etc., because parents are the ones who choose to buy MG novels for their children to read (and some might feel that's too early for their child to read about alcohol).

So, that's probably why it's not commonly mentioned all the time, in every MG novel; plus, not every story is about church wine-drinking rituals, so mentioning it wouldn't be needed.
 
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coffeehunter

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I agree there. And I do agree with below in having a safe introduction in a ritual setting.

She approved to share her response:
"At least it was a well reasoned response. You also have to consider that parents tastes change over time and they are most likely going to be okay with a safe introduction to the subject. I feel the scene we are talking about is essential to the story in that it shows a way of life that is quite different to what the MC knows."
 

novicewriter

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It sounds as though your scene would be okay. Plus, if you're pursuing a literary agent, they'd be able to advise you on that type of scene (i.e. to let you know whether it's fine as it is or whether it might need to be partially cut, etc.).
 
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cornflake

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Sorry, are you pasting someone's responses, and clarifying that she's allowed you to share them.... but also apparently showing her people's responses here (without asking if you can paste those someplace?)?
 

coffeehunter

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I appreciate the help, novicewriter! You're right, an agent will be able to further guide those details. Thanks.
 

novicewriter

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:) You're welcome! I'm happy to help.

I wasn't sure whether you planned to pursue trade publishing or self-publishing, but I thought I'd mention it, anyway.