black mass
Devil-worship ceremony
A black mass is a ceremony that parodies the Catholic Mass, traditionally associated with Satanism or devil worship.
The ritual supposedly inverts Christian symbols—reciting prayers backward, using an inverted cross, desecrating consecrated elements.
Whether such ceremonies were actually practiced historically or were mostly invention by witch-hunters remains debated.
The term now applies loosely to any occult or anti-Christian ritual: The film depicted a black mass in an abandoned church.
- satanistsDevotees of the infernal
- Satanic BibleCentral text of LaVeyan doctrine
- desecrationViolating something sacred
- inverted crossCrucifix rotated 180 degrees
- ceremonial magicFormalized supernatural invocation practice
demonology · diabolism · devil worship · dark lord · blasphemy · witchcraft · antichrist · occultism · coven · midnight ritual · sacrilege · pagan rites · incantation · Aleister Crowley · pentagram · taboo-breaking · ritual magic · profane
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells
- ritualsritual, rite, ceremony, sacrament, blessing
- dark occultdemonology, devil worship, witchcraft, satanic ritual, demonic pact
- forbidden actsblasphemy, idolatry, sacrilege, adultery, incest
- sacrilegeblasphemy, desecration, profanation, idol worship, idolatry
- SatanSatan, devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles
black massEucharist
Sacramental bread and wine
communion service · Holy Communion · high mass · church service · worship service
black massholy sacrament
Sacred Christian rite
benediction · consecration · blessing · holy rite · divine service
black masssacred ceremony
Formal religious observance
religious observance · white magic · church wedding · ordination
black, mass, massive, mastery, blacken, Black Friday, blacklist, blackness, massing