32. State atheism meant Jugendweihe ceremonies replaced Confirmation
For many years, German Christians celebrated Confirmation, a ceremony marking a significant development in a youngster’s relationship with God. Since the 19th century, non-religious families had celebrated a secular version marking a child’s coming of age at 14. When Eastern Germany became the GDR, these Jugendweihe (‘youth consecration’) ceremonies became an important political tool. The SED expected all GDR children to undertake a new, communist version. A year of lectures preceded the GDR Jugendweihe, and the ceremony involved a chest-thumping pledge of allegiance to the State. Each child also received a book of propaganda as a gift from the government.