Jugendweihe (youth consecration) is a secular coming of age ceremony practiced by German 14 year olds. It originated among the secular societies in the 19th century as an alternative to Confirmation by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. It was especially widespread in East Germany, where atheism was encouraged under the GDR, but has become less popular since German reunification. Today it is occasionally known as Jugendfeier (youth ceremony).

The term Jugendweihe first appeared in 1852, to mark a new form of initiation developed by the secular movements, who developed a course of moral instruction for their children, founded on cultural history, as an alternative to Christian teachings. The concluding Jugendweihe was above all a ceremony to mark the child's leaving school, and so was held at the age of 14. Since the 1890s the form of the ceremony has remained largely unchanged. The teacher makes a speech about the humanist worldview, the young person makes a pledge, and is given 'pages of remembrance' (Erinnerungsblätter) and a commemorative book. The ceremony is broken up by songs and recitals. This freethinking tradition was absorbed into the labour movement. During the era of National Socialism a few of the associations that organised Jugendweihen were forbidden, but the Jugendweihe itself was not banned. After the war the secular communities revived the tradition. In February 1950 the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany refused the co-operation of the party, trade unions and Free German Youth with Jugendweihen that were performed in the way of earlier freethought associations. Nonetheless Jugendweihen continued in the freethought tradition, in which many representatives of Party and state took part, and despite frequent proposals Jugendweihen were not forbidden in the GDR until 1954.