Purposes of Traditions or Rituals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Purposes of Traditions or Rituals - Essay Example The meaning of a tradition as derived from Shah-Kazemi Reza is a belief or an object passed down within a society maintained in the present but originated from the past (41). Some common practical examples of traditions include holidays and clothes with social meaning like lawyer wigs or military officer spurs. A ritual on the other hand is a solemn or religious ceremony comprising of performed series in accordance with prescribed order. Traditions are places of comfort; touchstones as are in good times while during difficulties they are a place of mooring. In a Reith lecture said a tradition has several core elements. To begin with, it has a ceremonial ritual or ritualistic behavior, it involves a group of people; social in nature and it is collective and finally it has traditional guardians such as historians that have access to knowledge or the truth of tradition’s sacred rituals.... Traditions and rituals extent presence and function to the Roman Catholic Church. The church has â€Å"Catholic Mass† a service in a divine and consecrated area by an authorized minister (Jones 60). That central act is a sacrament of the performance of Eucharist. Such is an example of weekly church service whereby the reason for this regular ritual is much the same. In addition, a tradition or a ritual is purposeful in families since it promotes a sense of belonging, sense of purpose, identity, connection, and acts as a role model and develops stability and continuity in a fast-paced and hectic world. While a ritual is like a spiritual instruction book, complete with blueprints, it can have a specific reason for any one, or all people assembled to perform it. They include the rite of healing, passage or a ritual focused on helping crops to grow. Arguably, some critics have gone ahead to analyze the presence of Christmas on the twenty-fifth day of December every year. Some say it is a ritual commemorating the birth of Jesus. Others, although irreligious people, according to Skeptical play entitled purpose of a ritual, do not really get the function of a ritual or tradition (Strathern 14). After he carefully examined Jesus’ life and words, he came up with a startling conclusion and altered his course of life then posed a question, â€Å"could Jesus have been just a great teacher?† Scholarly arguing Christmas celebrations are a ritual to some while others do not even recognize its presence like those who go to church on Saturday. Another old tradition is that of the â€Å"best man† in a wedding. His purpose in old days was to; because people fought for brides, do the fighting while the couple said their vows Ritual actions are hardly limited to