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Between such concepts as “Rite”, “Ritual” and “Custom” it is mistakenly accepted to put an equal sign. But is it? Let's figure it out. To begin with, you should do short excursion into the past in order to understand how our ancestors lived, what their life consisted of, their ideas about life, as well as their life itself.

Some two hundred years ago, the average peasant, despite the existing conditions at that time serfdom, in fact - we emphasize this word - he believed in the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. His faith was supported by actions: he went to church, repented and prayed, turned to God with requests and thanked him. The child, before he could be born, had to be baptized immediately, because according to the canons of that time (and even today) it was believed that an unbaptized baby in the event of an early death would not get into God’s paradise.

From year to year, as soon as winter began to surrender its rights, the peasants began to call upon spring, and every autumn the same thing was repeated - the peasants thanked their mother earth for the harvest (some thanked the gods and their family, some thanked the only God ), began to celebrate weddings and prepare for winter. But was the life of a peasant any different from, say, the life of a person belonging to a different class? Yes, but not significant. After all, he baptized his children in the same way, went to church on weekends, and did a lot of other things that were accepted in his circle.

In October of the seventeenth everything changed. Religion was declared opium, church life was, as it were, pushed behind social life, behind secular life. Instead of church, people began to actively go to demonstrations, where they celebrated their new idols.

All of the above actions, to one degree or another, were, are and will be in the life of every person. No, this does not mean at all that you went, are going and will go to church or to a demonstration, it means that in your life one way or another there will be something that repeats from year to year, or something that repeats from time to time exactly at the moment when you need something.

As soon as the need has arisen, you take certain repetitive actions to which you attach symbolic meaning. You can do something without thinking about it at all, just like your grandmother once did or your mother, who still does the same thing. How you know this and what it means, you have no idea. You just do it without thinking too much.

Before getting married, you receive blessings from your parents, regardless of religion. Before a deceased person is consigned to earth or fire, he is washed and dressed, as if thereby equipping him for a long journey. A newborn is brought to church, where the minister of worship, having carried out a series of certain consistent and stable actions (for example, regardless of what gender the child was brought to him), performs the sacrament of baptism.

Thus, we have smoothly approached the definition of the term ritual. Let us summarize and update the definition itself. A ritual is considered to be certain sequential (or repeated) actions that have a symbolic meaning.

Some may immediately ask: What is the Rite of Initiation? The answer is simple and lies on the surface. The Rite of Initiation is a set of certain sequential symbolic and stable actions, thanks to which an individual is considered attached to one or another group, to one or another sacred knowledge or secrets, to one or another egregor.

With the concept of Ritual, oddly enough, everything is much simpler. After all, Ritual is several rituals united by a single idea (logic or need).

In the imagination of the average person, when hearing the word “ritual,” a picture of some kind of solemn act is immediately drawn, where the roles of all participants and their actions are strictly regulated, strictly consistent, and each of them has its own absolutely clear meaning, although at first glance it may seem that in There is no logic at all in these actions. To be honest, this is often exactly what happens. But why is this so? Yes, absolutely because Custom is to blame.

Our “matryoshka” has come together! After all, Custom is a complex of Rituals, and Ritual is a set of rituals, Rituals (we repeat) are repeated, sustainable actions that have sacred meaning, sacred essence. Everything is simple, clear and logical.

Now that we clearly understand and distinguish between the three above-mentioned concepts, let’s figure out what kind of rituals there are.

What rituals are there?

In fact, one can highlight great amount rituals, combining them according to certain criteria. Today we want to talk to two of them, roughly dividing them into:

• Rituals to attract
• Rituals for deliverance.

Already from the name itself it follows that in the first case, the purpose of the ritual is to invite and accept something or someone into your life (or into the life of the person for whom the ritual is being performed). This something can either have a plus sign or carry a negative charge. As a rule, these rituals are performed on the waxing Moon. Required attribute a conspiracy appears (an intention clothed in verbal form). A ritual supported by a conspiracy and certain actions or other components (for example, the call of the Elements: Wind, Fire, Earth, Water or other magical objects (knives, herbs, bones, etc.)) will be called a ritual.

Rituals for deliverance are most often performed on the waning moon. The logic is the same. A ritual can grant a person relief from an illness that has tormented him for many years, or relief from loneliness. Or you can “bestow” something not very good, which, contrary to the will of the person for whom the ritual is being performed, will enter into his being.

Today our life, like the life of our ancestors, is full of rituals, the essence of which we do not always understand, and sometimes we do not even realize that when we perform some actions, we are performing a ritual. Everyone has their own rituals: a hunter, a builder, a fisherman, an athlete, a teacher or student going to take an exam, a person who sows a garden or takes care of livestock. Yes, perhaps there are fewer rituals in the city than in a village resident, but they still exist.

Of course, any rituals, in a broad sense, can be divided into religious and non-religious. And here each of us can remember that every year on the eve of Easter, in Christian families, for example, it is customary to paint eggs. Why? For what? Few people know the answer to this question. Simply because it has always been customary in the family. But this too typical example rite. Or, for example, Carols is also an example of a ritual when young boys and girls go from house to house, congratulating their owners on the holiday, and in return receive treats. This exchange is aimed at receiving all sorts of blessings in the new year.

Even a secular wedding, which would seem to have nothing in common with any mythological rituals, is still included in them. By exchanging rings, the newlyweds symbolically show the inviolability and infinity of family ties, as well as the strength of love. Thus, exchanging rings is also a ritual.

Many people ask: what is a military ritual? But it's so simple! Taking the oath is a typical example of a military ritual, transferring a post to a new squad, etc. These are all military rituals, which, in a sense, consist of rituals.

As a rule, rite and ritual always have a place in a person’s life when it comes to something really important, something truly meaningful.

Simoron rituals - what are they?

IN Lately began to take shape the new kind rituals. His name is the Simoron ritual. Someone is already familiar with this type of rituals, which, in essence, are “created (invented) on the knee,” i.e. arise quite spontaneously. At first glance, it may seem that Simoron rituals are chaotic, but this is not so. The main goal of any Simoron ritual is to resolve some kind of request. For example, a person needs to attract something important into his life ( new job, a new wonderful relationship) and he, either himself or in a group of like-minded people, comes up with a certain ritual, which for the most part he takes from his head, clearly setting himself up for the fact that after completing this ritual, called Simoronsky, he will get what he wants. Oddly enough, but for the most part this is exactly what happens. After all, ritual is a whirlwind positive emotions, this is pronouncing or singing affirmations or shouting them out, accompanied and reinforced by bodily practices: round dances, jumping over a fire or other obstacles, walking around trees, etc. It is like a statement or an order that a person sends into Space in the hope of getting what he wants.

To summarize all of the above, it is worth noting that rite, ritual and custom are the three components of any national culture, regardless of geographical location, regardless of religion or other distinctive features. As long as there is a person, there will be customs consisting of rituals, there will be rituals consisting of rites.

Ritual– “(from Latin ritualis - ritual, from ritus - religious rite, solemn ceremony) one of the forms of symbolic action, expressing the connection of the subject with the system social relations and values ​​and devoid of any utilitarian or intrinsic value."

The importance of ritual was recognized at the earliest stages of the development of civilization and human society. Without initiation rituals it is impossible to imagine the life of the most ancient tribes and some modern underdeveloped societies. The sacrament of childbirth, boys reaching the age of 7 and then adolescence, a girl’s transition to the status of a bride, becoming the head of a family, tribe or clan, the death of a person, a burial ceremony - all these archetypal events were accompanied by certain rituals that carry an important transformational meaning. Before and after the ritual there were completely different realities, but an important background of any ritual was inclusion in the system public relations. The meaning of rituals is the ordering of life, the opportunity to introduce into it a different, implicit, archetypal meaning. Devoid of a utilitarian function, rituals are valuable as milestones in the psychological life of society.

Today, after revolutions, wars and upheavals, and the overthrow of religious values, ritual has been forced out of the life of society in its classical form - as a sacrament. It has been preserved in the life of religious communities and individual nationalities. But if you take the average European, then his life is poor in classical rituals. However, the need for them is so strong that people have introduced new rituals into their daily routine. They are not so symbolic, devoid of pompous accompaniment and implementation, but, having changed their form, they still continue to exist and even actively influence everyday life.

The Ritual Nature of the Persona

Interesting rituals accompany the most pressing topic - the relationship of opposite sexes. Since ancient times in Rus', girls' costumes and married woman had fundamental differences (even the difference in embroidery patterns), but today they are smoothed out: both girls and women can wear T-shirts, jeans, revealing dresses and any other outfits that erase the differences in their status. However, if a woman or girl goes on a date, a transformation occurs, consciously or unconsciously: dress, heels, jewelry, cosmetics - any female creature knows what men especially value. If earlier jewelry often had sacred symbols, warded off evil spirits, and testified to the level of well-being of the bride’s parents, today they are used to attract attention and show original taste.

A special outfit intended for a date signals that the woman is ready for a relationship and is interested in it, she needs male admiration, and if the man behaves correctly, the date can be continued. In fact, external transformation is a system of non-verbal signals that are unmistakably guessed by men. If we consider rituals associated with clothing in other areas of human relations (dress code, uniform, clothing for festive occasions), then in any case we can reach its archetypal function.

The sacred meaning of food

Since ancient times, important rituals were associated with food intake - for example, water or some kind of food was placed next to the deceased “for the journey”; a wedding could not be imagined without a plentiful meal, which was intended not only to feed those present heartily, but also carried the meaning of uniting the two clans , expressions of trust (refusing food in the owner’s house was often taken as an expression of disrespect, aggression, threat). Sacred meaning food - precisely in the expression of love or trusting relationships, consolidating them through the joint act of eating. And today this tradition has not disappeared: often a man invites a woman to a cafe or restaurant. Eating food together brings people together, allows you to get to know a person better, and strengthens the union. In some countries, a woman prefers to pay for herself - this expresses her independence from her partner and some distancing. In Slavic countries, it is customary for a man to pay for a joint meal, and then his influence increases - thereby, the woman allows him closer to her.

Gifts as a ritual act

We remember the legend about the gifts of the Magi (in many cultures there are fairy givers) - the tradition of giving on a person’s birthday is connected with this. Giving gifts is another ancient ritual tradition common in almost all known cultures. In ancient times, sacrifice was used for a kind of exchange of a material thing (or a living being) for grace, protection from supreme wrath, and the inviolability of the tribe. Today, this archetypal model works in a variety of areas: a man gives a woman gifts and flowers, thereby signaling his interest and, if the woman accepts the gifts, she accepts the exchange and agrees to accompany this man. The principle of “give and receive” also works in weddings (dowry, ransom, bride price, or, conversely, the bride’s parents can pay the groom). If the groom pays a ransom, he actually “buys” the bride from the parents, claiming his rights to her. If the bride's parents pay, they make a deposit that later life the wife will be supported by the husband (and then this is also a transfer of authority). IN different cultures accepted different traditions, but the essence of the archetypal model does not change - the material is brought in exchange for the intangible.

Ritual union of man and woman

If in Rus' the wedding ritual has long had its stages - before marriage (wedding), the wedding itself, the period after the wedding - then today they have undergone some changes. People come up with their own rituals (for example, proposing on a yacht, before a parachute jump, in unusual place), but the essence of the ritual remains the same: a system of verbal and non-verbal signals is used, aimed at emphasizing the archetypal event, giving it importance and significance. Until now, when proposing, a man presents his chosen one with a ring - a symbol of selfhood, harmony, and completeness. The ring on a non-verbal level means the decision to stay with this person until the end of one’s days, the irreversibility of the choice. The exchange of rings by newlyweds is the acceptance of a kind of “mark” of a change in status; it is accompanied by an oath of love and fidelity. The circular structure of the ring has one more symbolic meaning– repeatability, nonlinearity of time. That is, the spouses vow to be together in eternity, throughout all life events. They have the same rings, which relate them to the same nature, a single whole. What is characteristic is that they declare this publicly - that is, in the wedding ceremony it is the social nature that is clearly felt.

In any case, the nature of ritual remains an expression of social relations. It is important to broadcast to the world and society a person’s new status, which implies the acquisition of new qualities. Of course, we are now modern, ambitious, active, creative. But at some deep level, the need for archetypal experience through ritual remains - this is an important property of the psyche, which, among other things, has therapeutic potential.

Literature

• 1. Ritual // Philosophical Encyclopedia. Electronic resource. Access mode: https://goo.gl/Wi2C3P Access date – 03/19/2017.
• 2. Eliade, M. Myths, dreams, mysteries - Kyiv: Refl-book, Wakler, 1996.
• 3. Toporov, V. Myth. Ritual. Symbol. Image: Studies in the field of mythopoetic: Selected. Moscow: Publishing house. group "Progress-Culture", 1995.

Editor: Chekardina Elizaveta Yurievna

World cults and rituals. The power and strength of the ancients Matyukhina Yulia Alekseevna

Modern rituals

Modern rituals