Posts Tagged

ritual

I have written previously on the importance of rites and rituals to our well-being. This month, religious practitioners of varying faiths are experiencing Lent, Purim, Ramadan, Holi, Naw-Rúz and numerous other celebrations. To our Muslim colleagues, this weekend we wish you, “Eid Mubarak.” Today is also the Vernal Equinox, with many ancient, including Indigenous, rituals […]

Rituals frequently bring individuals together and often reduce anxiety and uncertainty. Whether we understand them well or not, they are important to individuals, families, communities, and societies. Dimitris Xygalatas, a cognitive scientist and anthropologist, notes in Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living, that our social institutions are permeated by ritual. At the […]