Starting with an example from Tracy Letts’ drama August: Osage County, this chapter discusses the links between family rituals and a family’s identity construction. Based on the works of Barbara Fiese, Evan Imber-Black et al., it presents different forms of ritualised behaviour. In the second part, the chapter draws on the work of Arnold van Gennep, Bruce Lincoln and Ronald Grimes and outlines the concept of rites of passage, particularly initiation rites, and their connections to family constellations. The chapter ends with observations on the erosion of family structures and meaningful initiation rites in contemporary Western societies.