ritual

Everyday

1. A set of actions always done in the same way and order, especially as part of a religious ceremony. tree →
2. Something a person or family always does in the same way, like a habit. tree →
3. (adjective) Done as part of a ceremony or out of habit. tree →

In the lessons

In religion and history lessons, rituals include baptism, prayers, festivals, ancient burial and harvest ceremonies; in church, Christians share rituals such as communion. In everyday life, a bedtime story or a team chant before a match is a ritual. Phrases: a bedtime ritual, religious ritual, ritual dance.

Examples

• Lighting candles is part of the ritual in many churches. tree →
• Our bedtime ritual is a bath, a story and a cuddle. tree →
• The ancient Egyptians had rituals for burying their kings. tree →
• Every Saturday, Dad's ritual is pancakes and the football. tree →
• The team does a ritual handshake before each game. tree →
• Baptism is an important Christian ritual. tree →
• To her was intrusted the office of convoking the assembly of the gods, and she was also mistress of ritual and ceremony. tree →

Note

Countable. Related: rite (a single ceremony) and ritually (adverb). Not the same as habit, although an everyday ritual can be a habit with a special meaning.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means a set religious practice; in this source it refers to ceremonies of a magical tradition, not the Torah's own commands.

Interpretation. Some modern writers link Sefer Yetzirah to mystical practices, though the tradition treats it as a book of Creation.

Examples

• Hermetic rituals explain this Yetziratic attri- bution. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →

Note

Countable. Related: rite (a single ceremony) and ritually (adverb). Not the same as habit, although an everyday ritual can be a habit with a special meaning.