A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of
symbolic actions
generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a ritual often
include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation,
singing, group
processions, repetitive
dance, manipulation of
sacred objects, etc. The general purpose of rituals is to express some fundamental truth or meaning, evoke
spiritual, numinous emotional responses from participants, and/or engage a group of people in unified action to strengthen their
communal bonds. The word ritual, when used as an adjective, relates to the noun 'rite', as in
rite of passage.
Religion
Rituals may express a part of a larger social doctrine, or simply of a personal one. In religion, a ritual can comprise the
prescribed outward forms of performing
worship, the cultus or
cult of a particular observation within a
religion or
religious denomination.
Although ritual is often used in context with
worship performed in a church, the
actual relationship between any religion's doctrine and its ritual(s) can vary considerably from religion to religion. Ritual
often has a close connection with reverence, thus a ritual in many cases expresses reverence for a
deity.
Religious rituals have also included
human sacrifice and other
forms of
ritual murder.
Sociology
Outside worship and reverence, rituals can have a more basic
sociological
function in expressing, inculcating and reinforcing the shared values and beliefs of a society. Rituals range from the grand and
ceremonial (such as royal
coronations) to the trite and everyday (such as
hand-shaking when people meet).
Among other rituals that are not religious in nature are graduation ceremonies, presidential inauguration ceremonies, and
oaths of allegiance.
Rituals have formed a part of human
culture for tens of thousands of years. The
earliest known evidence of
burial rituals dates from around 20,000 years ago. (Older
skeletons show no signs of deliberate 'burial', and as such lack ritual.)
Psychology
In psychology, the term ritual sometimes refers to a specific action or series of actions that a person performs in a
given context which otherwise has no apparent reason or purpose. The term may refer especially to compulsive behaviors of people
afflicted with
obsessive compulsive
disorder (OCD).
