Rituals

Introduction

A ritual (from Latin ritualis: "the rite on ") is one according to predefined rules -running, most often formal and solemn ceremonial act with a high symbolic content . It is often of particular words and formulas defined gestures and can accompany religious or secular to be kind (eg worship, greeting, wedding, funeral, induction ceremony, etc.). A fixed ritual (order) of rituals or rituals called rites .Rituals are important from a sociological perspective of many. They are (in terms of habits and customs) being understood as repetition and standardization, which keep the contingency of social life under control. A ritual can also be reversed (eg, as a rite of passage or initiation) may be an interruption of the every day, then it is just for the transformative moments of social interaction. Rituals defined by standardized courses of action, symbols and functions. In addition, they also have a range of typical characteristics, by which they can be distinguished from other social phenomena. For example, every ritual, a headstrong style of thinking (or a collective consciousness), a typical affectivity (e.g., emotional mood), materiality (the presence of a certain group members, and ritual objects, etc.) and performativity (panels, sounds, dances, etc.). The seminar is, in addition to theoretical and conceptual introduction to the subject; also, a selection of ritual phenomena analyzed, consider both historical and contemporary cultural forms. In the assignment then discussed the possibility of the theories is a self-chosen example of a ritual to bring the application (Trevino & Javier, p. 42).

Rituals have myriad functions and meanings in social life. They have been conceptualized as repetitions and Standardization (i.e., habits and customs) that control the contingencies of social life. However, a ritual can equally be understood as the disruption of the mundane (rituals of initiation and rites of passage), therefore, becoming TRANSFORMATORY moments of the social. Rituals define themselves through normed courses of action, symbols and functions. They exhibit a range of typical characteristics that differentiate them from other social phenomena. For instance, every ritual has a distinctive style of thinking (or a collective consciousness), a typical affectivity (e.g. an emotional mood), materiality (presences of a certain group members and ritual objects, etc.) and performativity (costumes, sounds, dances, etc.).

Discussion

The notion of ritual is prominent in sociological theory and research. While the study of rituals is more commonly associated with anthropological investigations or research into religious beliefs and practices, sociological accounts give ritual a much broader focus (Kyriakidis, p. 102). For sociologists rituals are an integral and central aspect of everyday social life and interpersonal encounters.

Both anthropology and religious studies have focused on rituals as patterned, often stereotyped sequences of behavior that mark political, social or personal transitions and express important cultural values. Arnold Van Gennep's work The Rites of Passage (1909) is a typical example. Van Gennep explores initiation ceremonies that mark the rites of passage from one social position to another in a cross-cultural context. The ritual practices that represent the transition from adolescence to adulthood are among the most common ...