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A ceremony is an activity, infused with ritual significance, performed on a certain occasion. For example, the Japanese tea ceremony was frequently held as a ritual of hospitality at the arrival of a guest.Traditionally, a ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a personal human career, marking the significance of (for example):
- See also: human condition, initiation rite.
Other, society-wide ceremonies may mark annual or seasonal or recurrent events like:
- vernal equinoxIn astronomy, an equinox is defined as the moment when the sun reaches one of two intersections between the ecliptic and the celestial equator. The word "equinox" comes from the Latin for equal night . The equinoxes in March and September are the two time
- winter solsticeSolstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the Sun in relation to the celestial equator. It is related to the axial tilt of the planet, and not the Solar apsides ( aphelion and perihelion) of the planet, as many people commonly believe.
- weekly SabbathThis article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. For the Sabbath in Judaism, see Shabbat. For other uses see Sabbath (disambiguation In both Judaism and Christianity, the Sabbath ( Hebrew " Shabbat") is a religious day of rest that usually occurs on the day
- inaugurationAn inauguration is the formal process of assuming an office or position. The term is usually used in reference to a politician's assumption of the duties of head of state or head of government, ie: "the President's inauguration. Tradtionally, the inaugura of an elected office-holder
- occasions in a liturgical yearReligious festival. The liturgical year also known as the Christian year consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions o or "feasts" in a calendar of saintsA calendar of saints forms a way of organising a liturgical year on the finely-granulated level of days by assigning each day to association with a saint. This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, co
Yet other ceremonies underscore the importance of irregular special occasions, such as:
- coronationA coronation is a ceremony in which a monarch is crowned. Historically, in many kingdoms, the coronation was a highly religious ceremony in which anointing with holy oil, followed by ratification as the proper occupant of the throne, are important parts. of a monarchThis article treats the generic title monarch . For the origins of the word king and its English use, see Germanic king. For other meanings of the word, see Monarch (disambiguation A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. The word derives from Greek
- victory in battle
Often ceremonies have a physical display or theatrical component: dance, a procession , the laying on of hands. But even greater importance usually attaches to a declaratory verbal pronouncement which may explain or cap the occasion, for instance:
- I now pronounce you man and wife.
- Happy New Year!
- I swear to serve and defend the nation ...
Both physical and verbal components of a ceremony may become part of a liturgy.
See also: gift
