ritual

thumb|A Javanese culture|Javanese ritual dance dedicated to the goddess of [[rice and fertility, Dewi Sri]]

AI overview

A ritual is a formal, repeated action or ceremony that holds special meaning for a group of people, such as a dance performed to honor a deity or important concept. Rituals matter because they help communities express their beliefs, strengthen shared identity, and mark significant aspects of life like harvests and spiritual devotion.

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Research

8,153 papers

Ritual as resource management.ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Rossano MJDOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0429
On face-work; an analysis of ritual elements in social interaction.Psychiatry · 1955GOFFMAN EDOI: 10.1080/00332747.1955.11023008
Ritual and the origins of first impressions.ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Over H, Eggleston A, Cook RDOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0435
Spontaneous (minimal) ritual in non-human great apes?ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Tennie C, van Schaik CPDOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0423
White Hair Ritual.Journal of general internal medicine · 2023Vusse LKVDOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08210-7
Reclaiming ritual in palliative care: A hermeneutic narrative review.ReviewPalliative & supportive care · 2025Butler C, Michael N, Kissane DDOI: 10.1017/S1478951524001767
Proximate and ultimate causes of ritual behavior.ReviewBehavioural brain research · 2020Tonna M, Ponzi D, Palanza P et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112772
The ritual.Emergencias : revista de la Sociedad Espanola de Medicina de Emergencias · 2022Suero Méndez CDOI: 10.55633/s3me/E092.2022

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Wikidata facts

Image: Zangbeto in Vodoun Festival Grand Popo Benin Jan 2018.jpg

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Commons category: Rituals

Sources (3)

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~45 min read

Article

43 sections

Contents

Etymology
Characteristics
Formalism
Traditionalism
Invariance
Rule-governance
Sacral symbolism
Performance
Genres
Rites of passage
Rites of affliction
Death, mourning, and funerary rites
Calendrical and commemorative rites
Rites of sacrifice, exchange, and communion
Rites of feasting, fasting, and festivals
Water rites
Fertility rites
Sexual rituals
Political rituals
Anthropological theories
Functionalism
As social control
Rebellion
Structuralism
Structure and anti-structure
Anti-structure and communitas
Social dramas
Symbolic approaches to ritual
As a form of communication
As a disciplinary program
As a form of social solidarity
Ritualization
Sociobiology and behavioral neuroscience
Ritual as a methodological measure of religiosity
Religious perspectives
Ancient Mesopotamia
Christianity
Islam
Freemasonry
See also
References
Bibliography
Further reading

thumb|A Javanese culture|Javanese ritual dance dedicated to the goddess of [[rice and fertility, Dewi Sri]]

A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally associated with gestures, words, or revered objects, rituals also occur in non-human species, such as elephant mourning or corvid object-leaving. They may be prescribed by tradition, including religious practices, and are often characterized by formalism, traditionalism, rule-governance, and performance.