Ritual Functions Research Articles

Seblang Ritual Performance of "Using Society"In Banyuwangi Regency

Ritual Seblang derived from pre-Hindu culture, dance form with trance / unconscious synonymous with offering something to disa village. Using public dipercayaoleh Seblang ritual function of sacred and profane. Seblang is the oldest culture in Banyuwangi and is a sacred dance man can communicate with spirits unseen or danyang with the aim of getting cosmic harmony. If the ritual is not implemented, then disharmonies will occur and the ecological balance can be disturbed as crop failures and plague pagebluk.As the village clean ceremonies, rituals Seblang carried out with the aim of cleaning the village of delicate creatures are dangerous, where the existing dish dedicated to disa village. Based on the above description, the problems in this paper, as follows: 1). how the implementation of the performing arts in the District Glagah Seblang Banyuwangi?; 2). how the community functions for the District Seblang show Glagah?. With qualitative methods and methods of history, the results of this study, is a community in the district Glagah Using the geographical conditions that support for an agrarian economy that characterizes their culture. Ritual Performances Seblangan has been a tradition since 17-21 century still held. Tradition has the potential to become a tourist village supporter Using in Banyuwangi. Can be summarized as follows: 1) .Pelaksanaan seblangan ritual performance is supported by the geographical potential suitable for agricultural farming, and public confidence in the customs, traditions and culture handed down by their ancestors still retained by the people in the District Using Glagah; 2). Bakungan Seblang rituals conducted in Dzulhijjah or after the Eid al-Adha is held collectively, becomes a medium between people with supernatural / spirits, remain rooted in the sacred. In the rite of the meaning of reality presented in society (social meaning). Rite instrumental strengthen the collective sense of rootedness. Seblang ritual religious serves as an expression of gratitude, starting reinforcements against any disaster that might happen. Also functioning mechanical and organic solidarity Using community. In addition, profane thus serving the entertainment attractions.

Integration of Foreigners in Egypt

Abstract The relief of Amenhotep ii shooting arrows at a copper ingot target has often been considered as propaganda of the king’s extraordinary strength and vigour. However, this work proposes that the scene took on additional layers of significance and had different ritual functions such as regenerating the health of the king, and ensuring the eternal victory of Egypt over foreign enemies and the victory of order over chaos. Amenhotep ii was shooting arrows at an “Asiatic” ox-hide ingot because the ingot would symbolize the northern enemies of Egypt. The scene belonged to a group of representations carved during the New Kingdom on temples that showed the general image of the king defeating enemies. Moreover, it was linked to scenes painted in private tombs where goods were brought to the deceased, and to offering scenes carved on the walls of Theban temples. The full sequence of scenes would describe, and ritually promote, the process of integration of the foreign element into the Egyptian sphere.

FUNCTION, FORM, AND MEANING OF RITUAL AND MARKET IN HISTORICAL SITE OF KAMPUNG LUAR BATANG, JAKARTA, INDONESIA

Functions or activities that occur on a historic site did by a community will affect the formation of its physical environment. This research observes the ritual and market activities did by the community in the historic site of KampungLuarBatang, North Jakarta, and sees its influence on the formation of its physical environment. The purpose of this research is to explore the meaning of ritual and market in historic site of KampungLuarBatang, by relating the function or activity of ritual and market with the formation of its physical environment. The research method used is descriptive qualitative interpretative method. The observed function or activity is a pilgrimage ritual activity in the historic mosque building and market activity around the mosque. The form of physical environment observed is the spaces used as places of pilgrimage and market. The conclusion of this research is the function or activity of pilgrimage ritual and market did by the community of KampungLuarBatang, North Jakarta, has a meaning of survival strategy in the modern city environment of Jakarta.

Sacra Privata, Family Duties, and the Dead: Insights from the Fathers and Cultural Anthropology

Abstract When discussing boundaries between domestic and public religion, society and family, a look at ancient rites and rituals proves to be illuminating despite the given difficulties in reconstructing non-verbal ritual acts through verbal texts and archeaological remains. Ever since the discipline’s origins in the 18th and 19th century, cultural anthropology has attempted to describe, analyse and systematize the ritual functions of defining and maintaining boundaries between different realms and stages of human life. The essay endeavours to investigate some more and some less successful attempts by the Church Fathers to come to terms with complicated ritual dynamics, and suggests ways to access critically historical plausibilities of claims made by the ancient sources.

Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices

Most models on the origins of tantrism have been either inattentive to or dismissive of non-literate, non-sectarian ritual systems. Groups of magicians, sorcerers or witches operated in India since before the advent of tantrism and continued to perform ritual, entertainment and curative functions down to the present. There is no evidence that they were tantric in any significant way, and it is not clear that they were concerned with any of the liberation ideologies that are a hallmark of the sectarian systems, even while they had their own separate identities and specific divinities. This paper provides evidence for the durability of these systems and their continuation as sources for some of the ritual and nomenclature of the sectarian tantric traditions, including the predisposition to ritual creativity and bricolage.

Ritual in Prague’s Velvet Carnival

Each year on 17 November, the anniversary of the Czech Republic’s Velvet Revolution of 1989, NGOs and civic groups commemorate and celebrate the revolution with the Velvet Carnival (Sametové posvícení). Procession units showcase distinctive masks, leaflets, and music. Since key organizers of the first Velvet Carnival in 2012 were students of performance, religion, and philosophy, a central question among them has been the nature and function of ritual.

Music and Affect: The Influence of the Xing Zi Ming Chu on the Xunzi and Yueji

The Xing Zi Ming Chu 性自命出 (Dispositions Come from What Is Allotted; hereafter XZMC) presents a distinctive account of human dispositions that centers on the spontaneous arising of affects like joy and sadness. This focus on emotion grounds a particular conception of the function of music and ritual that gives music a central role in self-cultivation. Although the account of human dispositions in XZMC was ultimately overshadowed by the opposing views of Mengzi 孟子 and Xunzi 荀子 and the question of whether our dispositions are good or bad, its views remained central for Ru 儒 philosophy of music. The first three parts of the essay trace the development of the ideas appearing in XZMC through the “Discourse on Music” chapter of the Xunzi and parts of the Yueji 樂記. The fourth section highlights the distinctiveness of XZMC’s account through a contrast with the views of Mengzi and Xunzi. The essay concludes by examining the ways in which, in accounting for ritual and music, both the Mengzi and Xunzi employ views like those of the XZMC, even if those are in tension with their core philosophical theories.

Kesenian Barongan Kabupaten Pati dalam Pergeseran Budaya

Traditional arts are used to express the beauty of the human soul. In traditional artwork implicit message of the society of knowledge, ideas, beliefs and values norms. One example of a traditional art that has the function of rituals is Barongan. Barongan is a community-owned art Kabupaten Pati, Jawa Tengah raised to preserve the culture and values in society. Through a qualitative descriptive approach with observation techniques and literature, it was found that at the next stage of development, especially in the modern society, arts performances Barongan shift function just as more entertainment. Barongan existence as art and traditional culture in Indonesia progressively eroded by the expansion of global art and culture. Therefore, efforts must be made to preserve the arts and culture in the midst of changing times and foreign cultural influences have been increasing in Indonesia

Found in Translation: Habermas and Anthropotechnics

In his recent work on postsecular societies Jürgen Habermas has stressed the need for a dialogue between religious and nonreligious citizens aimed at strengthening social integration and rejuvenating the moral bases of modern political and juridical institutions. This dialogue should focus on the translation of religious traditions into rational, secular forms. In his more recent work on the social function of rituals, however, he rejected the Durkheimian view of public secular rituals as mechanisms for fostering social integration. In this article I discuss Habermas’s early reflections on postsecularism and assess his interpretation of public religious rituals as sources of social integration. I then propose an alternative to his translation proviso whereby religious symbolic content would be translated into behavior-regulating technologies aimed at developing the dispositional resources needed for a continuous postsecular dialogue between religious and nonreligious citizens.

Oral poetry and development ideology in South Africa’s Eastern Cape

In rural and peri-urban areas of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, iimbongi, or praise poets, are artists with a gift for both language and healing who play an important and varied role in contemporary society. Although the tradition is diverse and changing, the imbongi’s literary practice is widely understood to have spiritual and ritual functions, much like the practices of traditional healers. Iimbongi have much to offer South Africa’s decolonisation process, helping to heal communities struggling through the aftermath of historical violence by actively affirming indigenous agency, language and identity.

Abject Digital Performance: Engaging the Politics of Electronic Waste

Building on anthropologist Mary Douglas’s writing on the ritual function of dirt, this article presents a strategy in digital performance art that engages with electronic waste (e-waste). It is suggested that planned obsolescence in electronics is of a particular nature that facilitates the representation of consumer technologies within the logic of a “symbolic order of technological progress,” where digital devices act as mere signifiers for abstract notions of connectivity, well-being and innovation. Conceptualizing discarded electronic devices as abject technology that is positioned outside this symbolic structure, a performance practice is proposed where abject body parts and abject technologies are connected to challenge this techno-ideology.

Image and Text in Newar Buddhist Ritual Manuals

This article addresses the relationships between text and image in a group of Newar Buddhist manuscripts from Nepal. While these manuscripts all describe essentially the same ritual, a version of the ubiquitous Vajradhātu maṇḍala, they do so in widely varying ways, serving more as practitioners’ notes than as a meticulously copied sacred text. In this context, words and drawings are employed complementarily to communicate both visual and ritual information, neither complete in itself. While one might expect the images to be straightforward illustrations of visual aspects of the texts, some images perform ritual functions entirely outside the text, while some textual passages convey far more specific and useful visual information than the associated illustrations. Furthermore, both text and image have complex relationships with the meditative visualizations and ritual practices ostensibly performed via the manuscripts. In the end, the illustrations perform multiple functions, including the protection of the manuscript itself, practical instruction in the actions and visualizations of the ritual, and indexing key moments of the performance. These contrasting functions are not explicit, but they are marked by both formal differentiation in the illustrations and noticeably dissimilar relationships between the images and accompanying texts.

Dinamika Pergelaran Jaran Kepang di Kota Malang dalam Perspektif Antropologi

The hobby-horse dance as known as jaran kepang, jathilan or kuda lumping is the one of dance art performance from Javanese. It also know as well in Malang City. Jaran kepang is one of entertainment art which have magic dramatical as the climax in the end of performance. It happend when one of the jaran kepang dancer was trance. This jaran kepang performance was invited and entertain folks to see and, it potentially to be carnaval event. Before they perform, called gebyak, the jaran kepang dancer do some rites to called their danyang or perewangan, and prepare sesaji or sandingan. The dynamic of art performance both personal or collective grup reflected the reality of traditional art performance in Indonesia. Today, this jaran kepang performance who had ritual function was changed by entertainment. Jaran kepang as culture is one of Javanese rural rites in selamatan or bersih desa moment. This paper was done by through context perspective with life history analysis. The aim of research is to see the social-cultural phenomena behind jaran kepang performance.

Ritual Communication between Hindus and Muslims at Sarasuta Sacred Place, in Lingsar Village West Lombok Regency

This study intends to analyse ritual communication between two groups of people who have different religious in one sacred place. The problems associated with background meticulous ritual communication, the communication function of ritual, and the meaning of ritual communication between Hindus and Muslims at the sacred place of Sarasuta, in Lingsar village, West Lombok regency. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. In this case, data are collected by observation, interview, and documentation. The analysis method is descriptive qualitative. Based on data collection and data analysis that background of ritual communication between Hindus and a number of Muslims at Sarasuta sacred place associated with the implementation of belief systems, execution culture, and the embodiment of social ties. Ritual communication functions associated with the cultural function, social function, aesthetic function and religiosity function. The implied meaning concerning social meaning, ritual meaning, religious meaning, and ethics meaning.

Examining the Social Function of Dramatic Rituals of Mazandaran with Emphasis on Three Rituals of tir mā sizeŝu, bisto šeše aydimā, and čake se mā

This study investigates the social functions of Mazandaran ancient rituals and examines the relationship between dramatic rituals and indigenous cultures from the past, and the effect of traditions left by the ancestors in today's society. Geographical domain of this study is entire Mazandaran from East to West, and it is tried to consider the quality of performing the rituals and sanctity of these rituals. This study includes an overview of research, literature and research history, theories of social function of dramatic rituals of Mazandaran, data analysis, and discussion and conclusion. Library and field methods are used to collect the required data on a large scale.In conclusion, it could be argued that further understanding of common beliefs among the people of Mazandaran now and in the past could prevent the disintegration of generations, and it should be noted that all past beliefs and rituals of Mazandaran do not have suitable capabilities to be implemented in today's semi-modern generation and are just for reminding and genreal knowledge.

Magical Materialism: On the Hidden Danger of Repatriation Disputes

Magical Materialism: On the Hidden Danger of Repatriation Disputes

Functional interpretation of ritual whirling among Serbs

On the basis of the ethnographic materials collected within Serbian ethnic area, ritual whirling and swinging are compared in order to mark the differences between them, since they have been understood as synonym actions till now. With the aim to discuss their inner ritual logic, the ethnographic data are analyzed by: 1) defining the annual calendar of their performance; 2) discussing their accompanying rituals and beliefs; 3) analyzing technics for the construction of the devices used for whirling and swinging; 4) comparing these data to the similar practices in other traditions of the world. The attention is drawn to the differences in the annual calendar of their performance, while Christmas and the Lent preceding week are marked as those during which both ritual actions were practiced at the same time. The results of analysis indicate that these two actions are closely inter-related, especially during the Lent preceding week, when whirling and swinging were the most intense and performed simultaneously in the same place. However, even then, their ritual functions were not synonymous, but complementary. Although both were performed to encourage fertility, their inner ritual logics were different: whirling was the simulation of a new cosmogonic process, while swinging was performed to awaken the biocosmic rebirth.

The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework

Traditionally, ritual has been studied from broad sociocultural perspectives, with little consideration of the psychological processes at play. Recently, however, psychologists have begun turning their attention to the study of ritual, uncovering the causal mechanisms driving this universal aspect of human behavior. With growing interest in the psychology of ritual, the current paper provides an organizing framework to understand recent empirical work from social psychology, cognitive science, anthropology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. Our framework focuses on three primary regulatory functions of rituals: regulation of (1) social connection, (2) emotions, and (3) performance goal states. We examine the possible mechanisms underlying each function by considering the bottom-up processes that emerge from the physical features of rituals and top-down processes that emerge from the psychological meaning of rituals. Our framework, by appreciating the value of psychological theory, generates novel predictions and enriches our understanding of ritual and human behavior more broadly.

Cattle in ritual practice and iconography in Bronze Age Cyprus

The difficulties involved in identifying the archaeological remnants of belief systems have been widely discussed. In many or even most instances, the material correlates of ritual action are likely to have left non-durable (myth, dancing, prayer, prophecy, libations) or non-diagnostic traces. Issues of recognition are thus fundamental to any discussion of the meaning and function of images and symbols and the artefacts on which they are inscribed. One approach – and that adopted here – is to limit the investigation to materials recovered from ritual contexts (where these can be identified) or otherwise of obvious ritual function or content, so that their operational role may be most clearly understood.

Imagining the Nation through Television Fiction: Memory, Proximity and Daily Life

This paper reflects on the importance of television (especially TV fiction) in the imaginary of Nations. With this end in view, we first look at the role played by television as an instrument of socialization, as well as its ability to consolidate and naturalise an imaginary based on the dissemination of various ideological representations of reality. Second, we explore the ritual function of television and its incarnation in daily life, routines, and the family setting of the broad masses. It is a dimension that studies on the nation and nationalism are increasingly taking into account as central factors in the process of national construction — especially regarding the fostering of a sense of belonging and in imagining an abstract community. Last but not least, we focus on television fiction because it makes up the lion’s share of the programmes in most TV stations and is probably the most relevant narrative we can find in contemporary societies. Among the various discursive strategies shaping this definition of the nation, we examine the construction of the story of the nation’s past and present (in which the stories are set within nationally-defined regions and spheres) and the tactical resort to cultural and linguistic proximity