Rituals Chapter 4 Part I Introduction Ritual can

Rituals Chapter 4

Part I

Introduction Ü Ritual can be defined as patterned, recurring sequence of events Ü When these acts involve religious symbols, prayers, reading or saying sacred words, etc. it is a religious ritual

The Basics Ü Religious rituals are a lot like plays. They have: Ü Actors (shamans or priests) Ü Words (prayers, spells, sacred text) Ü Sets (altar, church, mosque) Ü Props (incense, masks, robes) Ü They also have music and dancing

The Basics Ü So what makes a play not a religious ritual? Ü It is not to entertain Ü The audience actively participates

The Basics Ü Religious practices most commonly have ritual and myth Ü These are tied to worldview Ü Audience participates and rituals help stabilize society and unify the group

The Basics Ü What are some familiar religious rituals?

The Basics

Types of Rituals Ü Prescriptive rituals: required to be performed Ü ex. Command to keep Sabbath holy Ü Situational rituals: spontaneous, can be during times of crisis Ü Sept. 11 th

Types of Rituals Ü Periodic/Calendrical rituals: performed on a regular basis Ü ex. Sunday church, Passover, Ramadan Ü Occasional rituals: performed when the need arises Ü Marriage ceremonies, funerals

Classification of Rituals Ü Anthony Wallace created categories of types of rituals Ü Pg. 79 Ü Include rituals that try to: Ü Control nature Ü Heal the sick Ü Maintain peace in a community Ü Rites of passage (stages in life cycle)

Technological Rituals Ü Attempt to control or influence nature Ü Used with hunter/gatherers or people who rely on nature for survival Ü Common among Native American groups Ü Ex. Thanking an animal that you have hunted for its meat and skin

Technological Rituals Ü Read the Inuit creation myth (pg. 81)

Technological Rituals Ü Seal hunts are part of their survival Ü Success depends on Mother of the Sea Ü Seals have souls and rituals pay respect to seals they hunt Ü Creation myths, world views influence rituals

Lakota buffalo ritual

Protective Rituals Ü Are used before dangerous activities Ü May be done before each activity or when an unexpected event occurs Ü Ex. The Vikings ‘blooded the keel’ of a new ship (human sacrifice) Ü Today we break a bottle of champagne on a new ship

Social Rites of Intensification Ü These maintain normal functioning of society Ü Teach good/evil; moral/immoral; how to act/how not to act Ü Ex. Sabbath, Easter, Rosh Hashanah (rituals can belong to more than 1 category) Ü Ex. Jewish practice of reciting kaddish at someone’s funeral Ü Reaffirms their faith

Offerings and Sacrifices Ü Many rituals try to communicate with deities Ü People give gifts, bribes, money, etc. in the hopes the gods will return the favor Ü The difference is that in a sacrifice blood is shed and in an offering gifts are exchanged

Offerings and Sacrifices Ü Human sacrifices have been common through history Ü Aztecs fed human blood to the Sun so the world would not end Ü Those sacrificed believed they would become gods Ü Would cut open the chest and remove victim’s still-beating heart Ü http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=mk 2 E 1 Co. G e 98

Assignment Ü Read and discuss handout on sacrifices in your groups.

Healing Rituals Ü Cultures have different explanations for what makes people sick Ü Ethnobotany is using medical plants to help cure people Ü We have made many common drugs out of medicinal plant knowledge

Healing Rituals Ü Therapy rituals focus on curing those who are sick Ü Anti-therapy rituals are those that try to bring illness, accident, or death to others Ü Ex. Fore of New Guinea take a something associated with an enemy, recites a spell and buries it. They believe this will cause person to develop kuru

Video Ü Taboo: Healing Rituals Ü http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=2 R_5 Hkm 4 AR 8 Ü What types of healing rituals are in the videos? Ü What elements from lecture are demonstrated? Ü Do these rituals ‘work’? Explain your answer

Part II

Salvation and Revitalization Ü Salvation rituals involve a person changing in some way, usually being possessed or having altered state of consciousness Ü Revitalization rituals aim to return to the traditional way of doing things

Rites of Passage Ü These are rituals that mark a certain life stage or the transition of status Ü Ex are birth, naming rites, puberty, marriage, death Ü In some societies naming rites are delayed because of high infant mortality Ü Other examples: circumcision, bat mitzvahs, quinceaneras,

Rites of Passage Ü These can also be coming-of-age rituals, especially to mark puberty Ü Also called initiations Ü Girls are usually separated from the group Ü Initiations are usually more complex for boys than for girls Ü Rituals involve separation, modifying body, wearing different clothes, getting a different name, etc.

Rites of Passage Ü Initiations has an important phases: Ü Liminality : ambiguous phase during the change Ü Usually there is communitas, or the bonding of everyone going through the same phase Ü Rites are very difficult and show that the person can be an adult (pain, separation) Ü In the US, military initiation is a rite of passage. Describe why

Initiation with Pain Ü Taboo: Initiation Ü http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=d 2 Gm. B 5 s. NZe. Q Ü Questions: Ü What is the purpose of the initiation ceremony? Ü What aspects from lecture are demonstrated?

Altering the Body Ü Can be temporary or permanent Ü Often during rites of passage Ü Includes tattooing, piercing, and scarification

Permanent Altering Ü Tattooing, branding, stretching, circumcision Ü Tattoo is Tahitian for “to mark or strike” Ü What are social implications in the US about tattoos? Ü They can mark social identity

Horimono tattoo: Some African tribes use Pay homage to ancestors stretching to show wealth Scarification as initiation

Video Ü Taboo: “Marks of Identity” Ü Questions: Ü How do the neck rings and tattoos mark these groups’ cultural identities? Ü How are these considered rituals?

Genital Cutting Ü Circumcision is very common and also accepted in Western cultures Ü What is the reason for doing it? Ü Male circumcision is a common rite of passage Ü Though much older and no anesthesia or scalpels Ü Initiations should show pain tolerance

Genital Cutting Ü There is one practice that is almost universally condemned Ü Female circumcision or clitoridectomy in which the clitoris and/or labia are removed Ü Vaginal opening can be sewn almost shut Ü Keeps a woman “pure” until her husband has sex with her Ü Female domination, health issue, human rites issue

In-Class Assignment Ü ICA #3: Article on FGM

Pilgrimages Ü Sacred places occur in creation myths and these become places worshipers visit Ü Muslims Mecca Ü Jews and Christians Jerusalem Ü Hindus River Ganges Ü May also be sites of miracles

Religious Obligations Ü Actions performed by a group or individual Ü Saying grace, kissing a mezuzah (on doorway), lighting a candle Ü We know of behaviors that are appropriate for religious rites, but how do we know what is inappropriate?

Tabu or Taboo Ü Tabu means things that are restricted, forbidden, or off limits Ü In marriage, incest is usually a tabu Ü In a Polynesian chiefdom, the chief is sacred because he was given power by the gods. Everything he touches is sacred, so he is carried everywhere Ü Jewish tradition of keeping kosher Ü Prohibits pork Ü Rules for slaughter and preparation

Discussion Ü 1. What are rituals performed in your own culture (at school, work, at sporting events, religious ceremonies, etc. )? Ü 2. Discuss a rite of passage you have had or have attended. Identify the phases. Ü 3. How do we identify adulthood in the US? Is there a specific rite of passage for this? Is there a formal marker of adulthood?