<P> In the rite of initiation of Baka Pygmies, the Spirit of the Forest ritually kills the boys to propitiate their rebirth as men . </P> <P> In Korea, citizens are permitted to marry, vote, drive, drink alcohol, and smoke at age 19 . </P> <P> The Monday of the third week of May is "coming - of - age day". There has been a traditional coming of age ceremony since before Goryeo dynasty, but it has mostly disappeared . In the traditional way, when boys or girls were between the ages of fifteen and twenty, boys wore gat, a Korean traditional hat made of bamboo and horsehair, and girls did their hair in chignon with binyeo, a Korean traditional ornamental hairpin . Both of them wore hanbok, and wearing hanbok on the coming of age ceremony can be sometimes seen even now . </P> <P> In the Philippines, a popular coming of age celebration for 18 - year - old women is the debut . It is normally a formal affair, with a strict dress code such as a coat and tie for the upper - middle and upper classes, and usually has a theme or color scheme that is related to the dress code . The débutante traditionally chooses for her entourage "18 Roses", who are 18 special men or boys in the girl's life such as boyfriends, relatives and brothers, and "18 Candles", who are the Roses' female counterparts . Each presents a rose or candle then delivers a short speech about the debutante . The Roses sometimes dance with the débutante before presenting their flower and speech, with the last being her father or boyfriend . Other variations exist, such as 18 Treasures (of any gender; gives a present instead of a candle or flower) or other types of flowers aside from roses being given, but the significance of "18" is almost always retained . </P>

When is coming of age day in korea