Role Of Ritual Research Articles

(Re)animating the ancestors: Digital personality emulations, ancestor veneration and ethics

Veneration of paternal ancestors plays an important role in Chinese tradition. In this article, we offer some speculations about how a new ‘thanatechnology’ – digital personality emulation – may impact on ancestor worship. We explore the ethical issues raised by the use of personality emulations for this purpose, drawing on Confucian, Daoist and contemporary Anglo-American perspectives. For Confucians, the key questions concern the extent to which this technology automates the task of remembering and whether it is corrosive of filial piety. Daoists might be critical of personality emulations owing to a larger disagreement with Confucians about the role of ritual in a good human life. Finally, recent discussions in the Anglo-American literature suggest that the use of this technology would raise questions about the consent of the deceased to emulation, the privacy of users, the danger that users will be manipulated by the designers and/or manufacturers of emulations, and the impact of emulations on the grieving process.

Decoding Gobeklitepe: Insights into Prehistoric Rituals and Society

This article presents a comprehensive study of Gobeklitepe (in Turkey), one of the most significant Neolithic sites, whose discovery has reshaped our understanding of early human social and ritual practices. By synthesizing recent interdisciplinary research and employing both traditional excavation techniques and advanced scientific analyses, the study reexamines the site's architectural marvels—characterized by intricately carved T-shaped pillars and enigmatic symbolic motifs—as evidence of complex communal and ceremonial activities. The findings challenge the conventional "agriculture-first" paradigm by suggesting that ritual and symbolic practices may have been foundational to societal organization well before the advent of agriculture. Moreover, the integration of environmental studies with cultural and technological perspectives provides a nuanced interpretation of the interplay between subsistence strategies, environmental dynamics, and symbolic expression during the Neolithic period. Ultimately, this research contributes to a broader discourse on the origins of social stratification and the evolution of organized religion, highlighting the transformative role of ritual in early human innovation.

Role of Rituals in Strengthening Community Bonds in Netherlands

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of rituals in strengthening community bonds in Netherlands. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: In the Netherlands, rituals play a significant role in strengthening community bonds by fostering social cohesion and a shared sense of identity. Events such as Carnival serve as communal celebrations where individuals engage in collective activities, reinforcing social ties and cultural continuity. These rituals often involve role reversals and symbolic acts that allow participants to step outside their daily roles, promoting unity and mutual understanding. Such practices not only preserve cultural heritage but also adapt to contemporary contexts, ensuring their relevance and continued impact on community cohesion. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social solidarity theory, interaction ritual chains theory & costly signaling theory may be used to anchor future studies on role of rituals in strengthening community bonds in Netherlands. Community leaders and organizers should create rituals that are accessible and meaningful to all members, regardless of their backgrounds. Policymakers should fund and promote programs that encourage the preservation and adaptation of traditional rituals, as well as the creation of new ones, to strengthen community ties.

The Role of Symbolism and Ritual in Mahesh Dattani’s Seven Steps Around the Fire

The Role of Symbolism and Ritual in Mahesh Dattani’s Seven Steps Around the Fire

The Bali (Offering) Rituals Among the Māvilans of Southern India

The concept of “bali” in Hinduism is traditionally associated with sacrifice, particularly within the context of possession rituals such as teyyam in the Malabar region of South India, where it is often linked to practices of sorcery, magic, and witchcraft aimed at protection and prosperity. This conventional understanding, however, overlooks the multifaceted roles bali rituals play, especially in the mortuary practices of the Māvilan communities in Kasaragod district, northern Kerala. This ethnographic study explores the transformative role of bali rituals in converting the deceased into Aṇaṅṅu teyyam performances among the Māvilans, thereby facilitating communication between the living and the dead and venerating ancestral pasts through Tōṟṟam and Cācitra oral traditions. Employing Victor Turner’s concept of liminality as a theoretical framework, the research examines how these rituals navigate the transitional phases of death, enabling a seamless passage and continued presence of the deceased within the community’s cultural and spiritual landscape. This study underscores the importance of localized ethnographic inquiry in uncovering the complex interplay between ritual, belief, and social structure in shaping communal experiences of death and transformation.

Breeding of Camels in Europe: Between Continuity and Innovation

Camel breeding in Europe has undergone significant changes, intertwining historical continuity with modern innovation. Historically, dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), played essential roles in Roman logistics, medieval rituals, and agriculture, leaving archeological and cultural footprints across Europe. Following a decline during the Middle Ages, camels were largely confined to exotic collections. However, the past few decades have witnessed a resurgence in camel farming, primarily driven by tourism and the demand for camel milk, with an estimated 5000–6000 camels now present in Europe. Despite their adaptability to harsh climates and nutritional advantages, the sector faces challenges such as small population sizes, fragmented breeding efforts, and the absence of regulatory frameworks tailored to camels. Advances in genomic tools, including genome-wide association studies and SNP genotyping, have created opportunities for the genetic management of camels in Europe, yet also reveal concerns about low genetic diversity stemming from founder effects. Addressing these issues requires coordinated international efforts, standardized phenotype recording, and enhanced welfare guidelines. With climate change highlighting the resilience of camels to arid environments, their potential as sustainable livestock remains promising. This review underscores the balance between preserving the historical legacy of camels in Europe and fostering their integration into contemporary agricultural systems.

Sentient beings? Rethinking the meaning of stone in mesolithic burials and beyond

ABSTRACT Considerable attention has been given to the skeletal remains and personal ornaments from Mesolithic funerary contexts. Relatively less analytical attention, however, has been given to lithic objects frequently found in the same graves. As a result, understandings of grave goods and the broader ontological frameworks surrounding Mesolithic mortuary practices can be argued to be incomplete. A partial picture is perhaps why we have struggled to move beyond monolithic accounts of grave goods as status items. In this paper, I draw on empirical evidence for lithics playing diverse roles in funerary rites and rituals. Connections between stone objects and human bodies are drawn from funerary and other contexts to argue that, rather than being simply inanimate and utilitarian, some stone tools were perceived as living entities. Taking this new ontological perspective enables a radical rethink of the meaning of lithic artefacts in Mesolithic burials and beyond.

The Role of Vietnamese Mourning Culture in Grief Symptomatology – A Study Protocol

Losing a loved one is a universal and inevitable part of life; however, the way that bereaved individuals grieve and cope with loss varies between cultures. Culturally bound symptoms of disordered grief often go unnoticed when assessed with Western-developed diagnostic tools. Additionally, culturally significant funerals and rituals to be carried out during the mourning period may serve an important role in defining the expression and presentation of grief. Funeral and mourning activities following the death of a family member in Viet Nam span over one year, consisting of rituals to be carried out forty-nine days, one hundred days, and one-year post-loss. No previous study has assessed the course of grief symptoms of Vietnamese bereaved throughout the mourning period using a culturally adapted scale. This paper describes the protocol for the research that aims to examine the possible protective and supportive role of traditions, rituals, and other ceremonies for bereaved individuals. The results are expected to reveal that participating in ritual activities predicts a better grief trajectory. These results would suggest the consideration of cultural contexts in the assessment and treatment of pathological grief. The project would not only contribute to the cross-cultural understanding of grief but also highlight the importance of local cultural practices in grief recovery.

Embodying God: ritual, value, and secular‐sacred entanglements in Norwegian folk high school education

This paper explores the role of Lutheran ritual in value formations in Norwegian folk high school education. Folk high schools, subsidized by the state, offer gap year programs that are meant to instil values in young adult students before they attend higher education or enter the workforce. Drawing upon fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork at a Christian folk high school in south‐eastern Norway, I assess how the school's Lutheran masses were designed to develop values relating to community, experience, and equality by inviting all students and staff, irrespective of their personal relationships with the Christian faith, to participate. I argue that despite prevailing stereotypes of Norway being predominantly secular, the ‘hidden sacrality’ of Norwegian political and social life was made visible through these masses at the state‐sponsored Christian folk high school. I take the body as an analytic, arguing that the school's rituals, designed to encourage students to ‘embody God’, were situated in students’ bodies in such a way that sameness and difference, secularity and sacrality, and faith and doubt could co‐exist.

Uniting or Separating: The Role of Religious Rituals in Shaping Christian Groups’ Bonding in the 2nd and 3rd century CE

The paper considers the role of religious rituals for the early Christian communities during the second and third centuries CE. The majority of Christians were illiterate, thus at that time rituals might have been as important as the written texts for Christian communities in terms of group bonding and group identity. They were easier to perceive and remember, and more likely to instill a sense of unity within a group. The question is whether these religious rituals united various Christian groups as well or distinguished and separated them from each other. Two Christian rituals are examined: baptism and eucharist, since they are different regarding their frequency and emotional arousal. We can see that the Christian authors paid more attention to the theological grounds of baptism, but practical issues of eucharist, and naturally demonstrated greater diversity in these parts. Moreover, eucharist being a repetitive ritual, seems to have been more important for discriminating “heretics”, i.e., representatives of other Christian groups, who were allegedly performing this ritual “incorrectly”.

The role of Vedic rituals in community building and social harmony

The role of Vedic rituals in community building and social harmony

Study on the internal alteration mechanism of marble jade artifacts from Sanxingdui ritual Pit no. 3, Sichuan

Study on the internal alteration mechanism of marble jade artifacts from Sanxingdui ritual Pit no. 3, Sichuan

RELIGIOUS MODERATION IN THE PERANG TOPAT TRADITION IN LINGSAR, WEST LOMBOK, WEST NUSA TENGGARA

The Perang Topat tradition in Lingsar, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, represents a unique form of religious moderation, blending Islamic and Hindu elements in a ritual that promotes harmony among different faith communities. This study examines how the Perang Topat festival fosters interreligious understanding and tolerance, addressing concerns about preserving cultural identity while maintaining mutual respect within a diverse society. The purpose of this research is to explore the ways in which this local tradition serves as a model for religious moderation, providing insights into the role of cultural rituals in uniting distinct religious groups. The study employs qualitative methods, gathering data through interviews with community leaders, participants, and observers of the Perang Topat festival. Additional data are collected through participant observation and analysis of relevant documentation related to the festival’s history and significance. Data analysis is conducted using descriptive-analytical techniques to interpret the collected information and identify patterns that illustrate the festival's role in promoting religious harmony. Findings indicate that Perang Topat serves as a symbolic representation of religious inclusivity, where shared cultural practices bridge differences between Muslim and Hindu communities, strengthening social bonds. This ritual embodies values of tolerance, cooperation, and respect for religious diversity, demonstrating that local traditions can reinforce religious moderation in multicultural contexts. The conclusion highlights that such traditions offer significant implications for promoting peace and social cohesion. The study suggests that fostering similar culturally embedded practices can serve as an effective approach to religious moderation, offering lessons that may inform broader efforts at fostering unity within pluralistic societies.

“I Should Pay:” Interaction Ritual Presentation in PK Live Streaming

This study examines the phenomenon of “PK Live streaming” on Douyin, a leading Chinese social platform for short‐form content. Through participant observation and in‐depth interviews, the study explores the underlying motivations that drive users to participate fervently in PK Live streaming. Notable for its direct format, heightened emotional intensity and symbolic components, PK Live streaming has generated significant financial gains. The results of the study highlight the important role of interaction rituals in shaping user behavior during PK Live streaming sessions. This analysis elucidates how the strategic deployment of interaction rituals in PK Live streaming systematically engages users, capturing their attention and driving platform success.

Death, Conflict and Scandal. A Practical Theological Study of the Role of Rituals in Congregations Following the Loss of the Minister

Summary of PhD Thesis. This thesis was defended on October 23, 2023 at Stellenbosch University (South-Africa). Supervisors: prof. dr. Cas Wepener (Stellenbosch University, South-Africa) and prof. dr. Christo Thesnaar (Stellenbosch University, South-Africa). The Pastoral Office of the Western Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa acted as the problem owner and the funder of the research.

(Mis-)Recognition of the Socially Accepted Role in Communicative Rituals: A Study of Adolescents with Hearing Loss in School Life

(Mis-)Recognition of the Socially Accepted Role in Communicative Rituals: A Study of Adolescents with Hearing Loss in School Life

Application of Communication in The Metatah Traditional Ceremony in Bali

Traditional ceremonies in Bali are an important part of the culture and identity of its people. Communication in this traditional ceremony involves various elements such as symbols, movements, music, and ritual language rich in meaning. This research explores the dynamics of communication in Balinese traditional ceremonies, focusing on the role of symbols and rituals in transmitting values, norms, and cultural identity to future generations. This research uses a literature study method with a qualitative approach to explore communication in Balinese traditional ceremonies. Through the analysis of various literature sources, including books, articles, and related publications, this research gains deep insights into the role of communication in the context of Balinese culture. By integrating communication theory, cultural anthropology, and traditional ceremony studies, this research aims to depict the complexity of ritual and symbolic communication in Balinese traditional ceremonies and its impact on the sustainability of local culture. The ultimate goal is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how communication plays a key role in preserving and strengthening cultural heritage.

Analysis of the Relationship between Religion and Culture through the “Nyumpet” Tradition in Jepara: Islamic Perspective and Local Wisdom

The relationship between religion and culture is an interesting thing to analysis, especially in Java which has various local cultures which are famous for their Javanese. Local culture that originates from generations of ancestors still exists today. Like the Nyumpet tradition in Jepara which is carried out by the owner of the party before holding a celebration, whether a wedding or circumcision event. The survival of ancestral traditions to this day also involves the role of religion in them, and vice versa. Religion can enter Javanese society and also involves existing traditions. The aim of this research is to review the relationship between religion and culture through the Nyumpet tradition in Jepara, considering that Nyumpet activity is a tradition that combines the role of religion and rituals inherited from ancestors. This research is qualitative research with data collection techniques through involved observation. This means that the researcher directly witnessed and took part in the Nyumpet tradition, because the researcher is part of the Jepara community. The results of this research show that religion and culture have a close relationship between the two. The existence of the Nyumpet ritual in Jepara society aims to prevent bad things from happening at celebration events. Nyumpet with various Ugo Rampe combined with Selametan shows that religion and culture are very strong in Jepara society and can have a psychological effect on the soul. The geographical location of Jepara district and the community's professions are also the reasons why Nyumpet in Jepara still exists today.

The Role of Death, Burial Rituals, and Ghost Spirits in the Banyang Traditional Political System: An Anthropological Investigation

The implications of ghost stories are deeply embedded in the thoughts of the Banyang people. The epistemology of ngu’h-menem (ghost or die comot) in Banyang Country is passed down to youths as a living culture, narrated by parents and grandparents around the three-stone fireside. This oral tradition begins when someone dies, with rituals performed before burial to either prevent or encourage the appearance of ghost spirits. Ghosts are believed to possess continued influence over the living, playing crucial roles in governance, conflict resolution, and maintaining order within families and the community. This paper examines the implications of ghosts in Banyang Country, an ethnic group in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, arguing that ghost manifestations are not mythical phenomena from an anthropological perspective. Data were collected from primary and secondary sources and analyzed using descriptive methods. The findings reveal that ghost phenomena are integral to the spiritual beliefs and socio-political system of the Banyang people, highlighting the intersection of spirituality and politics in African traditional societies and the complexities of ritual power on social organization.

An Analysis of Family Structures and Daily Life Among the Sea Tribe in Riau: A Cultural Perspective

This study explores the family structures and daily life of the Sea Tribe in Riau, focusing on their unique cultural practices, social dynamics, and adaptation to their maritime environment. The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing ethnographic methods such as in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The findings reveal that the Sea Tribe’s family structures are shaped by their communal living patterns, with strong kinship ties playing a central role in social organization and decision-making. Daily life revolves around traditional maritime activities, including fishing, boat building, and trading, which are integral to their economic and cultural identity. Furthermore, the study highlights the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and the role of rituals in strengthening familial and community bonds. Challenges such as modernization, environmental changes, and shifting socio-political landscapes are also examined, shedding light on how these factors impact their way of life. This research contributes to the understanding of indigenous maritime communities and emphasizes the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of the Sea Tribe in Riau amidst rapid global change