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I can't think of anything which is or ever has been legalised at the age of 21?
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Well, in many parts of the USA 21 is the legal age at which one can purchase alcohol. Other than that, you're right. It's largely symbolic: a number that says you are now an adult, and are expected to act as one.
It would appear that "33" for Hobbits was similar: a status change and a sign that the standards of conduct demanded by society were now different.