Emerging ritual practices in pluralistic society: a comparison of six non-religious European celebrant training programmes

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn Western societies, ritual practices are shifting from traditional, set-piece rites towards a more active, dynamic and individualized form of ritualizing. This raises questions regarding both contemporary spirituality and non-religious celebrancy. In this study, six European non-religious training programmes are analyzed in order to explore this upcoming field. Following a theoretical introduction on ritualizing in contemporary society, a comparison of celebrant training programmes is presented that addresses (1) how ‘non-religious’ celebrancy is defined, (2) what kinds of ritual skills are trained in the programmes and (3) what kinds of challenges are faced. The outcomes of this study are a clarification of the term ‘non-religious celebrancy’ and of the core competencies for ritual work in pluralistic society.