Rituals

Chapter 4

Part I

Introduction Ritual can be defined as patterned,

recurring sequence of events

When these acts involve religious symbols, prayers, reading or saying sacred words, etc. it is a religious ritual

The Basics Religious rituals are a lot like plays.

They have: Actors (shamans or priests) Words (prayers, spells, sacred text) Sets (altar, church, mosque) Props (incense, masks, robes) They also have music and dancing

The Basics So what makes a play not a religious

ritual?

The Basics So what makes a play not a religious

ritual?

It is to entertain

The audience actively participates

The Basics Religious practices most commonly

have ritual and myth

These are tied to worldview

Audience participates and rituals help stabilize society and unify the group

The Basics What are some familiar religious

rituals?

The Basics

Types of Rituals Prescriptive rituals: required to be

performed ex. Commandment to keep Sabbath holy

Situational rituals: spontaneous, can be during times of crisis Sept. 11th

Types of Rituals Periodic/Calendrical rituals: performed

on a regular basis ex. Sunday church, Passover, Ramadan

Occasional rituals: performed when the need arises Marriage ceremonies, funerals

Classification of Rituals Anthony Wallace created categories of

types of rituals

Pg. 79

Include rituals that try to: Control nature Heal the sick Maintain peace in a community Rites of passage (stages in life cycle)

Technological Rituals Attempt to control or influence nature

Used with hunter/gatherers or people who rely on nature for survival

Common among Native American groups

Ex. Thanking an animal that you have hunted for its meat and skin

Technological Rituals For the Inuit (pg. 81)

Seal hunts are part of their survival

Success depends on Mother of the Sea

Seals have souls and rituals pay respect to seals they hunt

Creation myths, world views influence rituals

Lakota buffalo ritual

Protective Rituals

Are used before dangerous activities

May be done before each activity or when an unexpected event occurs

Ex. The Vikings ‘blooded the keel’ of a new ship (human sacrifice)

Today we break a bottle of champagne on a new ship

Remember…

Rituals can belong to more than one category

Just try to have one good example for each category

Social Rites of Intensification These maintain normal functioning of

society

Teach good/evil; moral/immoral; how to act/how not to act

Ex. Sabbath, Easter, Rosh Hashanah

Ex. Jewish practice of reciting kaddish at someone’s funeral Reaffirms their faith

Offerings and Sacrifices Many rituals try to communicate with

deities

People give gifts, bribes, money, etc. in the hopes the gods will return the favor

The difference is that in a sacrifice blood is shed and in an offering gifts are exchanged

Offerings and Sacrifices Human sacrifices have been common

through history

Aztecs fed human blood to the Sun so the world would not end Those sacrificed believed they would

become gods Would cut open the chest and remove

victim’s still-beating heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=mk2E1CoGe98

Assignment

But did they really rip a still-beating heart out of the victim?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQKJRnPpIxw

Top Ten Human Sacrifices

Healing Rituals Cultures have different explanations for

what makes people sick

Ethnobotany is using medical plants to help cure people

We have made many common drugs out of medicinal plant knowledge

Healing Plants

In fact, much of our knowledge of medicinal plants also comes from watching apes use them

Example: Virnonia amydalina (bitter pith) to prevent malaria

They swallow Aspilia plant to get rid of parasites

Healing Rituals Therapy rituals focus on curing those

who are sick

Anti-therapy rituals are those that try to bring illness, accident, or death to others

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

Taboo: Creature Cures

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1oo9uh_national-geographic-taboo-s02e05-creature-cures_techWhat types of healing rituals are in the videos?

What elements from lecture are demonstrated?

Do these rituals ‘work’? Explain your answer

Assignment

Review study guide for quiz on Monday

HW 2 (The Adaptive Value of Ritual) is online and due next class

Part II

Salvation and Revitalization

Salvation rituals involve a person changing in some way, usually being possessed or having altered state of consciousness

Revitalization rituals aim to return to the traditional way of doing things

Rites of Passage

These are rituals that mark a certain life stage or the transition of status

Ex are birth, naming rites, puberty, marriage, death

In some societies naming rites are delayed because of high infant mortality

Other examples: circumcision, bat mitzvahs, quinceaneras,

Rites of Passage These can also be coming-of-age

rituals, especially to mark puberty

Also called initiations

Girls are usually separated from the group

Initiations are usually more complex for boys than for girls

Rituals involve separation, modifying body, wearing different clothes, getting a different name, etc.

Rites of Passage Initiations have important phases:

Liminality : ambiguous phase during the change

Usually there is communitas, or the bonding of everyone going through the same phase

Rites are very difficult and show that the person can be an adult (pain, separation)

In the US, military initiation is a rite of passage. Describe why

Initiation with Pain

Taboo: Initiation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2GmB5sNZeQ

Questions: What is the purpose of the initiation ceremony? What aspects from lecture are demonstrated?

Altering the Body

Can be temporary or permanent

Often during rites of passage

Includes tattooing, piercing, and scarification

Permanent Altering

Tattooing, branding, stretching, circumcision

Tattoo is Tahitian for “to mark or strike”

What are social implications in the US about tattoos?

They can mark social identity

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

Video

If time, Taboo: “Marks of Identity”

Questions: How do the neck rings and tattoos mark these

groups’ cultural identities? How are these considered rituals?

Genital Cutting

Circumcision is very common and also accepted in Western cultures What is the reason for doing it?

Male circumcision is a common rite of passage Though much older and no anesthesia or

scalpels Initiations should show pain tolerance

Genital Cutting There is one practice that is almost

universally condemned

Female circumcision or clitoridectomy in which the clitoris and/or labia are removed Vaginal opening can be sewn almost

shut

Keeps a woman “pure” until her husband has sex with her

Female domination, health issue, human rites issue

In-Class Assignment

ICA #3: Article on FGM

Pilgrimages

Sacred places occur in creation myths and these become places worshipers visit

Muslims Mecca

Jews and Christians Jerusalem

Hindus River Ganges

May also be sites of miracles

Religious Obligations

Actions performed by a group or individual

Saying grace, kissing a mezuzah (on doorway), lighting a candle

We know of behaviors that are appropriate for religious rites, but how do we know what is inappropriate?

Tabu or Taboo Tabu (or taboo) means things that

are restricted, forbidden, or off limits

In marriage, incest is usually a tabu

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

Jewish tradition of keeping kosher Prohibits pork Rules for slaughter and preparation

Discussion

1. What are rituals performed in your own culture (at school, work, at sporting events, religious ceremonies, etc.)?

2. Discuss a rite of passage you have had or have attended. Identify the phases.

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?