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From Nordan Symposia
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Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known [[human]] societies, past or present. They include not only the various [[worship]] rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also the rites of passage of certain societies, oaths of allegiance, coronations, and presidential inaugurations, marriages and funerals, school "rush" traditions and graduations, club meetings, sports events, Halloween parties, veteran parades, Christmas shopping and more. Many activities that are ostensibly performed for concrete purposes, such as jury trials, execution of criminals, and scientific [[symposia]], are loaded with purely [[symbols|symbolic]] actions prescribed by regulations or tradition, and thus partly ritualistic in nature. Even common actions like hand-shaking and saying [[hello]] are rituals.
Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known [[human]] societies, past or present. They include not only the various [[worship]] rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also the rites of passage of certain societies, oaths of allegiance, coronations, and presidential inaugurations, marriages and funerals, school "rush" traditions and graduations, club meetings, sports events, Halloween parties, veteran parades, Christmas shopping and more. Many activities that are ostensibly performed for concrete purposes, such as jury trials, execution of criminals, and scientific [[symposia]], are loaded with purely [[symbols|symbolic]] actions prescribed by regulations or tradition, and thus partly ritualistic in nature. Even common actions like hand-shaking and saying [[hello]] are rituals.
In any case, an essential feature of a ritual is that the actions and their [[symbols|symbolism]] are not arbitrarily chosen by the performers, nor dictated by [[logic]] or necessity, but either are prescribed and imposed upon the performers by some external source or are inherited unconsciously from social traditions.
In any case, an essential feature of a ritual is that the actions and their [[symbols|symbolism]] are not arbitrarily chosen by the performers, nor dictated by [[logic]] or necessity, but either are prescribed and imposed upon the performers by some external source or are inherited unconsciously from social [[tradition]]s.
==Ritual actions==
==Ritual actions==
