When someone hears the word ritual, the thought of religion is generally followed shortly after. Although this is the most common area in which we experience and follow them, rituals are everywhere. A ritual does not necessarily have to be associated with religion, and vice versa. It can be something as complex as praying, or something as simple as saying hello. Whether they are noticed or not, rituals play a major role in everyday life. After attending a University of North Dakotas women’s basketball game along with a Catholic church service, I have come to realize the impact that rituals have on my life, along with many others.
During this semester, our focus was primarily on a book by Malory Nye called Religion: The Basics. While attending the basketball game and church service, my focus was primarily on recognizing rituals performed at both. In Nye’s book, he states “Most of these writers agree that rituals are a matter of doing something, performing actions, particular types of behavior, and engaging in that behavior in certain ways” (page 131). He then goes on to say that there cannot be any universal definition for the term ritual, “since what ritual is depends to a large degree on the local context” (page 131). Nye claims there are eight particular ways to look at a ritual: meaning, symbolism, communication, performance, society, repetition, transformation, and power. After attending the ritualistic events, I have drawn all of these aspects out of each.
On February 8th, 2018, I attended a women’s basketball game at the University of North Dakota. As I arrived, I was skeptical as to whether or not I was going to clearly see and experience rituals happening. When I walked into the doors, around 6:40 p.m., my fears immediately diminished. As I found my seat, I noticed a difference in the atmosphere compared to other public events. It was a positive vibe, with fans in the stadium cheering and wearing their University of North Dakota gear. I turned my focus to the basketball court, where a large “UND” symbol was painted in the center. At this time, the announcer said over the microphone, “please remove your hats for the singing of the star-spangled banner”. The star spangled banner, or national anthem, is a symbolic ritual. It is sung nationwide, and has a special meaning to it. It is a ritual performed at most public events.
Another aspect of ritual that had stood out to me was communication. All of the fans had gathered there to cheer on the team, while I thought I was just attending for the purposes of this paper. Later in the game, I found myself cheering unconsciously, and just out of habit. I had become accustomed to the form of communication the rest of the crowd was using, and began using it myself. I had been drawn into the society of basketball fans.
The aspect of performance is demonstrated throughout the game. The team has a play designed for them to follow, along with demonstrating sportsmanship and playing fairly. The way the team performs will determine their transformation. Whether or not they win a game changes their record, transforming their spot in the conference. This later alters the outcome for future games, and how long their season will last.
The aspects of repetition and meaning can be incorporated together, with the fact in mind that we do not always consciously perform a ritual with the meaning in our mind. Instead, the ritual may be done just because that is what we are accustomed to. This is where repetition comes into play. At the game, many forms of repetition were displayed, such as star-spangled banner, the announcing of the team players names, and clapping. Meaning can be found in clapping, and the star-spangled banner. The point behind the fans clapping at the end of the game was to congratulate the team for their win over Webber State, and the star-spangled banner is to thank those who sacrifice their lives to keep our country free.
Power stood out to me two different ways: from the coach, and from the referees. The team is subordinate to the coach, who possess the teams power and has a factor into whether or not they will win the game. But, the coach is also subordinate to the referee, who also has a large impact on which team will win the game, based on the calls they make.
The church I attended, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, is a small catholic church in Fertile, Minnesota. It had just been built, and everything inside was new. This was different than what I am accustomed to, not only because I am a Lutheran, but also because my church is very old. It is a traditional looking church, with a lot of windows. Although it was new, it still had the same feeling that old churches do. As I found my seat, I looked around to realize that there was hardly a seat left to take, which is another difference from my church. The service began at 8:30, when the priest walked in to welcome all who had come.
Immediately, symbolism jumped out at me as the pianist playing music. Throughout the service, many people sang along with the music, reading from a script. Another example of symbolism during the service was bread and wine. When handed the bread and wine, you are supposed to eat it. Catholics believe that the bread and wine are actually the body and blood of Christ, just in the form of bread and wine.
At a catholic church, you may see many people kneel before they enter the pew. This is called genuflecting, which is a sign of respect to Jesus in the tabernacle. This seemed uncommon to me, because as a Lutheran, this is not done. Another form of meaning is when people from the mass pull out the kneeler and pray from it. The meaning behind this is because God is in our presence, and it is an intimate gesture.
The aspect of communication was through the sermon. The Priest stood up around the altar, which is centered directly in the middle front of the room. He started the sermon by asking everyone, “what are you thankful for”? He went on in the sermon to tell us not to take for granted, not to shy away, but to just be ourselves while also thinking about others. He told us to be thankful, and always tell those we are thankful for how much we appreciate what they do for us.
The aspect of performance that had jumped out at me was praying and walking to get communion. These two routines cannot simply be done by someone of another group for you, but it has to be done through yourself. While people may be praying for you to prosper, they cannot do the job of praying for the things you need. Someone cannot simply go up and take communion for you, but you have to go up yourself to have the body and blood of Christ shed for you. As a sign of respect to being a Lutheran, I stayed back from communion.
The ritual of attending church brings together a society. As the mass is gathered together in the church, they are all being watched by god under one roof. Not only are they a part of this society, but they are a part of the community and church. The gathering of the people could also play the part of repetition, if they attend church regularly. The friend that I attended this service with, Carter, informed me that at every service they have the prayers of the faithful, with which the mass responds with “Lord hear our prayer”, which is also an example of repetition.
By the end of the service, the mass is transformed. They are to have a fresh start, and their sins are said to be cleansed. This is the most obvious transformation, but another way I thought of transformation was through the offering. This church had saved up enough money to build a new church, which led to a change their location, the look of the church, the objects placed inside, etc.
The power part of a ritual at this church service was obvious: Jesus. Although he is not physically present and we cannot see him, everyone is still praising him. The whole service is devoted to him, to share his story, and to become closer to him. Catholics use a kneeler to show respect, putting their prayers before him. They also genuflect as a sign of respect for him. It is plain to see how much power he holds not only in the church, but in everyday life for many people.
After attending these two events, I have come to realize that the word ‘ritual’ is not just applied to religion, but in reality, it is everywhere. The eight ways to look at ritual have helped me realize that rituals are all around me. We have grown accustomed to many of them, and may not even realize that something can be classified as a ritual. It can be something rather small and not have a noticeable impact on someone’s life, or it can be large and have a tremendous outcome. Either way, I believe rituals have a large influence on how we go about our everyday lives.