rituals
Repeated symbolic acts
Rituals are ceremonies or sequences of actions performed according to a prescribed order, often with religious or cultural significance: funeral rituals, initiation rituals.
The word extends to any habitual practice performed regularly: morning rituals, bedtime rituals.
A ritual can be meaningful tradition or empty formality—the context determines which: The meeting had become pure ritual, accomplishing nothing.
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- cultureCollective social practices
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- legacyWhat's passed down
customs · lore · ancestral · lineage · preservation · continuity · antiquity · mythology
Ritual water purification ceremony
- communionProfound shared closeness
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- sacramentSacred ritual conveying grace
- liturgyFormal worship structure
mass · prayer · ablution · exorcism · pilgrimage · sacrifice · blessing · anointing
Rules of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
- formalityStrict observance of convention
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
decorum · propriety · greeting · handshake · bowing · toasting · hospitality · courtship
Sacred ritual table
- incenseAnger greatly, or aromatic resin
- sanctityQuality of being inviolable
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- holinessSacred spiritual purity
sanctuary · reverence · divinity · worship · piety · oracle · shrine · relics
Mediation between worlds
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- paganismNon-monotheistic religious practice
- neopaganismRevived polytheistic spirituality
- druidsCeltic spiritual leaders
esotericism · witchcraft · solstice · equinox · moon · smudging · séance · spiritism
Ceremony installing a sovereign
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- graduationCompleting academic requirements formally
- commencementAct of starting
- ordinationClergy appointment ceremony
investiture · convocation · dedication · enthronement · procession · consecration · installation · anointment
Regular sequence of actions
- regimenPrescribed course of treatment
- dailyPer diem, repeated
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
- repetitionAct of redoing
consistency · patterned · ingrained · morning · nightly · bedtime · meditation · journaling
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- cultureCollective social practices
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
legacy · customs · lore · ancestral · lineage · preservation · continuity · antiquity · mythology · elders
baptism
Ritual water purification ceremony
- communionProfound shared closeness
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- sacramentSacred ritual conveying grace
liturgy · mass · prayer · ablution · exorcism · pilgrimage · sacrifice · blessing · anointing · veneration
etiquette
Rules of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
- formalityStrict observance of convention
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
manners · decorum · propriety · greeting · handshake · bowing · toasting · hospitality · courtship · mourning
altar
Sacred ritual table
- incenseAnger greatly, or aromatic resin
- sanctityQuality of being inviolable
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
holiness · sanctuary · reverence · divinity · worship · piety · oracle · shrine · relics · chanting
shamanism
Mediation between worlds
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- paganismNon-monotheistic religious practice
- neopaganismRevived polytheistic spirituality
druids · esotericism · witchcraft · solstice · equinox · moon · smudging · séance · spiritism · divination
coronation
Ceremony installing a sovereign
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- graduationCompleting academic requirements formally
- commencementAct of starting
ordination · investiture · convocation · dedication · enthronement · procession · consecration · installation · anointment · pageant
routine
Regular sequence of actions
- regimenPrescribed course of treatment
- dailyPer diem, repeated
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
repetition · consistency · patterned · ingrained · morning · nightly · bedtime · meditation · journaling · structured
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- cultural traditionsflamenco, tango, kabuki, hula, capoeira
- customscustoms, customs clearance, wedding custom, customs declaration, burial custom
- regional influencesdialect, accent, cuisine, folk music, local customs
- routinesmorning routine, habits, routines, morning routines, procedures
- clan traditionstradition, burial rites, initiation, elders, chief
ritualsspontaneity
Acting without forethought
improvisation · informality · whims · chaos · ad-libbing
ritualsanomalies
Departures from expected patterns
irregularities · aberrations · novelties · exceptions · departures
- ritual killingCeremonial taking of life
- drinking ritualFormalized communal beverage consumption
- healing ritualsCeremonies intended to cure
- mourning ritualCeremonial grief expression
- daily ritualsRecurring personal practices
- morning ritualHabitual start-of-day practice
ritual, ritualistic, ritualize, ritualism, ritualist, ritualized, ritualizing, ritualization, ritualistically