My understanding of the word ritual is an event, ceremony, or series of actions performed with regularity. How often it is done is not as important as long as it is done more than once. Often times, a ritual is a tradition within a family or group of friends.
The biggest rituals in our society tend to be religious, but non-religious holidays also play a part. Black Friday is ritual for many looking to get the best deal on gifts.
The celebrated holidays are three in my family: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. As a child, my family and I used to go to the mall every Friday. On Thursdays, my fiance and I had date night, which involved going out to eat or going to the store.
Weddings are among the most prevalent rituals today. Most everyone is married at some point in there life, and if they are not, they have at least been to a wedding.
My ritual for my family would be almost a summer holiday. All of the big holidays take place late in the year, and summer just seems to pass by without notice. Summer brings more ideal conditions for outdoor celebrations akin to the Fourth of July. My ritual would incorporate other aspects of holidays into its use.
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4 comments:
James –
Your analysis was nicely written.
My wife an I use date night as a ritual as well. I believe date night helps keep focus on our relationship and why we came together to begin with.
Hi James! You know its funny, I had not heard of Black Friday until this year. I think that is a prefect example of a ritual that is celebrated or at least acknowledged that some are not aware of. It does not mean they don't exist, it just means it may not be celebrated as commonly as Christmas for example. Or perhaps it is because I don't like to shop that I was not aware of that day!
Great post!
Yeah I know what you mean about summer. We used to go camping the whole family tree when I was younger. When that stopped Summer just seems to slip away with nothing of importance happening.
Hi James. I agreed with your view on what a ritual was. I also agreed with marriage as been a very well know ritual. Also I never heard of Black Friday sound interesting if shopping is involved.
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