Ritual

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Wild Wooder W
Wild Wooder Jan 9, 2006 09:47:55
Replying to FourWinds

I can't help feeling most of these are 'festivals' or celebrations.' To my mind ritual is defined as being an activity linked to spritual matters.

N nigelswift
nigelswift Jan 9, 2006 09:52:33
Replying to Wild Wooder

To my mind ritual is defined as being an activity linked to spritual matters.

Mostly it's taken as that, but it's actually wider according to the dictionaries. Which is where the problem arises.

F FourWinds
FourWinds Jan 9, 2006 10:02:02
Replying to Wild Wooder

Surely ritual is <b>something done consistently for no apparent real reason</b> year in year out or at some other regular interval. I would count giving Easter eggs as a ritual, because there's no personal gain. 'Trick or Treat'-ing I wouldn't becasue, although it's done yearly and in the same manner each time, it's for personal gain*.

Bonfire night (Nov 5th in UK) is a ritual for many.

*Although, as discussed before the practice of going from house to house on Halloween does date back hundreds of years.