Household rituals: do we need it? Rituals in Rus', Russian and Old Russian rituals

Ritual– “(from Latin ritualis - ritual, from ritus - religious rite, solemn ceremony) one of the forms of symbolic action, expressing the connection of the subject with the system of social relations and values ​​and devoid of any utilitarian or intrinsic meaning.”

The importance of ritual was recognized at the earliest stages of the development of civilization and human society. Without initiation rituals it is impossible to imagine the life of the most ancient tribes and some modern underdeveloped societies. The sacrament of childbirth, boys reaching the age of 7 and then adolescence, a girl’s transition to the status of a bride, becoming the head of a family, tribe or clan, the death of a person, a burial ceremony - all these archetypal events were accompanied by certain rituals that carry an important transformational meaning. Before and after the ritual there were completely different realities, but an important background of any ritual was its inclusion in the system of social relations. The meaning of rituals is the ordering of life, the opportunity to introduce into it a different, implicit, archetypal meaning. Devoid of a utilitarian function, rituals are valuable as milestones in the psychological life of society.

Today, after revolutions, wars and upheavals, and the overthrow of religious values, ritual has been forced out of the life of society in its classical form - as a sacrament. It has been preserved in the life of religious communities and individual nationalities. But if you take the average European, then his life is poor in classical rituals. However, the need for them is so strong that people have introduced new rituals into their daily routine. They are not so symbolic, devoid of pompous accompaniment and implementation, but, having changed their form, they still continue to exist and even actively influence everyday life.

The Ritual Nature of the Persona

Interesting rituals accompany the most pressing topic - the relationship of opposite sexes. Since ancient times in Rus', the costumes of girls and married women had fundamental differences(up to the difference in embroidery patterns), but today they are being smoothed out: both girls and women can wear T-shirts, jeans, revealing dresses and any other outfits that erase the differences in their status. However, if a woman or girl goes on a date, a transformation occurs, consciously or unconsciously: dress, heels, jewelry, cosmetics - any female creature knows what men especially value. If earlier jewelry often had sacred symbols, warded off evil spirits, and testified to the level of well-being of the bride’s parents, today they are used to attract attention and show original taste.

A special outfit intended for a date signals that the woman is ready for a relationship and is interested in it, she needs male admiration, and if the man behaves correctly, the date can be continued. In fact, external transformation is a system of non-verbal signals that are unmistakably guessed by men. If we consider rituals associated with clothing in other areas of human relations (dress code, uniform, clothing for festive occasions), then in any case we can reach its archetypal function.

The sacred meaning of food

Since ancient times, important rituals were associated with food intake - for example, water or some kind of food was placed next to the deceased “for the journey”; a wedding could not be imagined without a plentiful meal, which was intended not only to feed those present heartily, but also carried the meaning of uniting the two clans , expressions of trust (refusing food in the owner’s house was often taken as an expression of disrespect, aggression, threat). The sacred meaning of food is precisely in the expression of love or trusting relationships, consolidating them through the joint act of eating. And today this tradition has not disappeared: often a man invites a woman to a cafe or restaurant. Eating food together brings people together, allows you to get to know a person better, and strengthens the union. In some countries, a woman prefers to pay for herself - this expresses her independence from her partner and some distancing. IN Slavic countries It is customary for a man to pay for a joint meal, and then his influence increases - thereby, the woman allows him closer to her.

Gifts as a ritual act

We remember the legend about the gifts of the Magi (in many cultures there are fairy givers) - the tradition of giving on a person’s birthday is connected with this. Giving gifts is another ancient ritual tradition common in almost all known cultures. In ancient times, sacrifice was used for a kind of exchange of a material thing (or a living being) for grace, protection from supreme wrath, and the inviolability of the tribe. Today, this archetypal model works in a variety of areas: a man gives a woman gifts and flowers, thereby signaling his interest and, if the woman accepts the gifts, she accepts the exchange and agrees to accompany this man. The principle of “give and receive” also works in weddings (dowry, ransom, bride price, or, conversely, the bride’s parents can pay the groom). If the groom pays a ransom, he actually “buys” the bride from the parents, claiming his rights to her. If the bride's parents pay, they make a deposit that later life the wife will be supported by the husband (and then this is also a transfer of authority). Accepted in different cultures different traditions, but the essence of the archetypal model does not change - the material is brought in exchange for the intangible.

Ritual union of man and woman

If in Rus' the wedding ritual has long had its stages - before marriage (wedding), the wedding itself, the period after the wedding - then today they have undergone some changes. People come up with their own rituals (for example, proposing on a yacht, before a parachute jump, in unusual place), but the essence of the ritual remains the same: a system of verbal and non-verbal signals is used, aimed at emphasizing the archetypal event, giving it importance and significance. Until now, when proposing, a man presents his chosen one with a ring - a symbol of selfhood, harmony, and completeness. The ring on a non-verbal level means the decision to stay with this person until the end of one’s days, the irreversibility of the choice. The exchange of rings by newlyweds is the acceptance of a kind of “mark” of a change in status; it is accompanied by an oath of love and fidelity. The circular structure of the ring has another symbolic meaning – repeatability, non-linearity of time. That is, the spouses vow to be together in eternity, throughout all life events. They have the same rings, which relate them to the same nature, a single whole. What is characteristic is that they declare this publicly - that is, in the wedding ceremony it is the social nature that is clearly felt.

In any case, the nature of ritual remains an expression of social relations. It is important to broadcast to the world and society a person’s new status, which implies the acquisition of new qualities. Of course, we are now modern, ambitious, active, creative. But at some deep level, the need for archetypal experience through ritual remains - this is an important property of the psyche, which, among other things, has therapeutic potential.

Literature

• 1. Ritual // Philosophical Encyclopedia. Electronic resource. Access mode: https://goo.gl/Wi2C3P Access date – 03/19/2017.
• 2. Eliade, M. Myths, dreams, mysteries - Kyiv: Refl-book, Wakler, 1996.
• 3. Toporov, V. Myth. Ritual. Symbol. Image: Studies in the field of mythopoetic: Selected. Moscow: Publishing house. group "Progress-Culture", 1995.

Editor: Chekardina Elizaveta Yurievna

Modern rituals

Modern society has its own rituals that accompany a person throughout his life. Scientists believe that the rituals of our time can be divided into 3 groups.

1. Traditional rituals and rituals that have come down to us from time immemorial.

2. Religious rituals.

3. Magic rituals accompanying the sessions of white and black magicians, as well as all kinds of healers, and folk superstitions.

The first group of rituals is the most numerous and understandable to everyone. It includes rituals known to every person, from birth to death. We got up in the morning, went to wash or turned on the kettle (computer, toaster, TV), got dressed, went outside, went to work, etc. All the things we are familiar with are everyday rituals that we perform automatically. Some of them are more significant and are associated with the ancient customs of our ancestors. We can name several of the most common “meaningful” rituals in our lives:

– swaddling a baby boy in blue blankets and diapers, and girls in pink ones;

– naming a newborn baby by name;

– annual birthday celebrations;

– celebrating all kinds of holidays;

– rituals of hospitality;

– special rules of behavior, speech, communication, clothing, which are also easily recognizable as rituals;

- weddings, funerals.

If you carefully analyze any ritual, you can quite easily find its roots in the mists of time. What we do today, without thinking at all, was most likely done by our distant ancestors, only at a different stage in the development of civilization. So, for example, we invite guests to our house not only for entertainment, but also in order to maintain good relations with friends, which are absolutely necessary for a normal life, and to avoid damage. The ritual of clinking glasses is also ancient: pagans deliberately touched filled cups so that the ritual drink would mix and have magical powers. In the Middle Ages, due to the widespread custom of pouring poison on each other, feudal lords certainly tried to hit their glass against their opponent’s glass as hard as possible so that some of the wine would spill into his glass.

The holiday of March 8 with the veneration of women dates back not to the times of Clara Zetkin, as is commonly believed, but goes back to much more distant eras. Even in ancient Rome, in the first days of March, festivals were held with the veneration of goddesses and women in general.

Burning candles on a birthday cake is also an ancient ritual. A burning fire was considered purifying and especially beneficial on a person's birthday.

Many rituals are associated with ritual cleansing: since ancient times, it has been customary to wash before and after any significant event in order to “cleanse” oneself from everyday worries. Each nation created its own type of bathhouse, washing in which, as well as the objects accompanying this action, had great ritual significance.

Traditional customs

New Year

New Year- a holiday that came to us from ancient peoples. True, many centuries ago the New Year was celebrated not on January 1, but in early March or on the day of the spring solstice, as well as in September or on the day of the winter solstice, December 22. The Spring New Year was associated with the arrival of warmth, spring, and the beginning of the next harvest; autumn - with the end of field work. The arrival of the New Year was celebrated completely differently than now, since it was closely connected with agricultural work. Traditions modern celebration The New Year was founded by Peter I, who in 1799 ordered to celebrate the coming of the next year on “1st January”. At the same time, the custom of decorating a spruce tree for the holiday came to Russia from Germany. The Druids, revering all trees, bestowed special honors on the sacred spruce tree, and the Celts considered this evergreen tree symbol of the Tree of Life. In Rus', the symbol of such a Tree was rather a birch or an oak, so the peasants did not want to decorate the spruce for a long time, but in the cities this tradition took root quite quickly.

In noble families, they placed a fluffy spruce tree in the main room and decorated it beautifully. Decorating a New Year's tree is a whole mythology. A star was placed on the top of the tree, of course, linking it with the Christmas star. In Soviet times, the star symbolized the power of the Communist Party, but in our time it has again turned into legendary star, who was the first to illuminate the path of Christ. Other decorations: balls, toys, garlands have always been a reflection of their era. The predominance of bright balls is a tribute to the tradition of the Celts, who decorated the spruce with apples as a symbol of new life. In Germany in the 19th century. apples decorated with bright ribbons were first hung on the spruce tree and then eaten; The same was true in other countries. Nowadays, Christmas trees are decorated in very different ways, but none can do without balls, although their symbolic meaning has long been forgotten.

In European countries, Christmas trees were decorated with toys associated with Christmas symbols: figurines of angels, sheep, images of shepherds and the Virgin Mary. In our country, before the revolution, household items were used as toys: samovars, sleds, skates, as well as fairy-tale characters. IN Soviet Russia toys reflected the mood of the era: airships, airplanes, drums.

Fir trees were decorated with burning candles, and in ancient times with burning splinters. This custom has come down to us, and everyone certainly hangs festive garlands on the ritual tree. Fire was revered by all tribes without exception as a symbol of a worthy life, as a sign of eternal rebirth.

Silvery rain is not at all a tribute to modern fashion. This is the embodiment of the symbol of worship of rain, without which a good harvest would not be possible. Similar flowing decorations are found in women's jewelry of the Slavs and other peoples.

In any case, the tree was decorated according to a ritual that prescribed treating it as a sacred tree for at least two weeks.

Where did everyone's favorite Santa Claus come from? Of course, from Slavic mythology. He embodies the legendary Morozko, to whom our pagan ancestors brought gifts, that is, almost a wooden idol. And his companion, the Snow Maiden, actually came out of the famous Russian fairy tale.

Not a single modern New Year is complete without masks and costumes. The roots of this custom also lie in ancient times. The Slavs, celebrating the New Year on December 22, certainly dressed up in animal skins, depicting their ancestors or the forces of the other world in order to come into contact with them on this unusual day. Nowadays, children dance around the Christmas tree in a wide variety of costumes, and adults happily participate in the ritual, wearing masks. The skins of wolves replaced the costumes of hares, and this is also symbolic, since the ancient Slavs considered the hare a symbol of male strength.

The celebration of the New Year these days is filled with a large number of modern rituals that have already become familiar: the indispensable Olivier salad, champagne, tangerines, a beautifully set table and “Carnival Night” or “The Irony of Fate” on TV. Congratulating the President can be considered from the standpoint of traditional customs as the speech of a tribal leader in ancient times, and this is also a ritual.

Thus, the New Year is an extraordinary ritual, filled with secret meaning and vivid impressions.

Ritual for luck

This is an ancient ritual that can still be performed today. Exactly at 9 o'clock in the evening before the New Year, you need to cover the table with a new white tablecloth and place a white porcelain dish with salt sprinkled on it. You need to put three on the salt church candles and light them with one match. At the same time, the following words are pronounced: “Bless and have mercy on me, servant of God (your name), Lord! As midnight enters the house, may good luck and wealth come with it! Amen!" During the ritual, the person must be completely alone in the room; even pets are not allowed. All electrical appliances should be unplugged. The candles should burn out on their own, and after that the tablecloth should be removed until next year and not used for other needs. Candle cinders must be taken to the church and quietly thrown away where all the cinders from the church are put.

This ritual can bring money luck and prosperity to the house for many years.

Dedication to...

If we could look into the distant past with the help of a time machine that has not yet been invented, we might see picturesque pictures of the life of primitive man. One of the episodes in this picture would be the initiation of young members of the tribe into hunters, farmers, and warriors. Young men certainly underwent an initiation rite and only after it could they rightfully be considered adult men. Initiation rites took place differently among different peoples. So, among some tribes of North American Indians it was enough to “see” prophetic dream, then find a reserved flower in the forest and bring it to the leader.

Majority African peoples during initiation she resorted to all kinds of cruelty and torture.

Centuries later, the initiation rite began to be used by European knights. This ritual was furnished with all the pomp inherent in the Middle Ages, and was accompanied by knightly tournaments surrounded by beautiful ladies.

Rites of passage are known in many semi-religious organizations. The most interesting rite of initiation into the Freemasons is described on the pages of this book. In the workshops, apprentices were initiated into masters, and in villages, girls were initiated into brides. All rituals were beautifully arranged and at the same time performed with all seriousness and in absolute accordance with the developed charters and rules.

For centuries, university students have been forced to undergo an initiation ritual that dates back to early educational institutions about 2 thousand years ago. In our time, this ritual has acquired other forms, but has retained its ancient meaning and is carried out in every self-respecting university in the world.

There are also lesser-known initiation rituals, such as initiation into archaeology, traditionally carried out on field expeditions in Russia on Archaeologist's Day on August 15. This day is well known in the archaeological community. They prepare for it for a long time, develop a script, make costumes from scrap materials. This modern ritual, during which members of the expedition, young and old, are initiated into archaeologists, is closely related to the ancient rite of initiation into members of the tribe. In each region the ritual is carried out differently, but everywhere it is an unforgettable spectacle that remains in the memory of all participants for a long time. Initiates are asked to quickly set up a tent, light a fire, dig a hole, clear a “treasure,” transport a certain amount of earth in a wheelbarrow, sing a song or dance a ritual dance. After all the tests, the newly minted archaeologists are accepted into the official composition of the expedition.

Similar rites of passage are colorful and interesting among geologists, tourists, athletes, that is, people of all professions associated with the natural world or with romance, which is so lacking in modern life.

Rites of initiation are widely used in tourism: travelers are initiated into the inhabitants of the sea, those close to Neptune, fishermen, hunters, etc.

Wedding ritual

It is clear that it has been around since weddings began to happen. For most ancient peoples, a wedding was a specially arranged ritual of the bride moving to the groom’s house (for rare peoples, it was the other way around). Wedding rituals are interesting and diverse; they most fully preserve the remnants of the past, ancient traditions and rituals.

Let's start with matchmaking. Even nowadays, in many cities and towns, long before the wedding, relatives of the future husband come to the bride’s house to get married. Nowadays, there are matchmakers who help future brides and grooms get acquainted almost in the same way as it was many centuries ago.

Clothing is of great importance in the wedding ritual. White, as is customary today, for brides and solemn black for grooms. In fact, in Rus', the bride wore a red (i.e. beautiful) sundress and a light, beautifully embroidered or decorated with ribbons blouse. The groom also wore a red shirt and a special wedding belt - a sash. Belts generally contain special magical powers; they are traditionally considered amulets against evil spirits. In addition to these general traditions, each province had its own; many of them have survived to this day. Thus, in the villages of Central Russia, the bride still has to sew a shirt with her own hands, then at least make a belt or embroider a handkerchief.

Godfathers are traditionally expected to give brides rich gifts, such as clothes or jewelry. Jewelry is a special wedding ritual. Some peoples wore a huge amount of jewelry to their wedding, while others, on the contrary, refused to wear jewelry at all. Nowadays, it is considered stylish to wear pearls or a small silver necklace with a wedding dress. This tradition came to us from ancient times, when pearls and white metal were considered amulets for chaste brides.

He retained the modern wedding ceremony and the dowry that is given to the bride, despite the fact that in last years her husband often stays in her house.

In Western countries, there is a modern ritual in which the bride must wear something new, something green, and something stolen to her wedding.

Redemption games, gifts, wedding train, groomsmen, vows - all these are modern wedding rituals that add even more charm and solemnity to the big holiday.

Kiss Ritual

In Rus', a kiss has apparently always been considered a manifestation of love, but in other parts of the world this was not the case at all. The indigenous inhabitants of Polynesia were terribly surprised when they saw for the first time how the Europeans who came to them expressed their feelings in such a strange way. The population of Mozambique in no way recognizes a kiss as a pleasant expression of feelings and classifies it as perversion. The Japanese, who have adopted many European things, try their best to avoid kissing, at least in public; they consider kissing to be relics of the wild past of peoples. The British, who accept an intimate kiss, do not at all accept a kiss between strangers, and even more so a kiss between two men (of course, we're talking about about men of the “correct” orientation).

Scientists say the kissing ritual came to us as a modified mouth-to-mouth method of feeding chewed food to babies. True, not everyone agrees with this conclusion. The first images of kisses were found on Egyptian frescoes made more than 5 thousand years ago, and in written sources a kiss was first mentioned in the 2nd century. BC e. Persians.

Ritual of flowers

Flowers bring joy and celebration into our lives; they accompany us throughout our lives. A huge number of different rituals are associated with flowers, dedicated to all stages life path person. Without flowers, the birth of a person, a wedding, holidays, and funerals are unthinkable. Since ancient times, each flower has been assigned its own special meaning. In Ancient Rome, violets were very revered, in Greece - lilies of the valley, and roses, due to their beautiful appearance, sharp thorns and a wide variety of shapes and types, were considered in many countries a symbol of God, the divine origin of life on earth.

In the Middle Ages, many rituals took place with the participation of flowers. Thus, one of the most mysterious rituals of the Slavs, carried out on the day of Ivan Kupala, involved the search for a fern flower. In some places this ritual is still common today, although everyone knows that the fern never blooms.

On all holidays, girls wore wreaths of flowers, as today’s brides do. At balls, young people had fun playing “flirting flowers,” which was a kind of ballroom ritual. Flower bouquets decorated the living rooms of society ladies, and in our time, as before, great importance is attached to them.

Everyone knows that an odd number of flowers should be given for a holiday, and an even number for a funeral, although these traditions differ in different countries. Cala is traditionally considered a funeral flower, and carnation is a flower of official celebrations. The tulip is a flower of spring; it is given to close friends and lovers. Chrysanthemums must inform the person who receives them about some news. Pansies are considered a refuge for the souls of dead people, so they are good to plant in cemeteries. There is a ritual for rain: you need to collect a bouquet of violets and put them in a simple vase - it will certainly rain the next day. The white lily is considered a special ritual flower among many nations. If you cut only one flower on a branch and give it to your loved one when parting, this will soften the pain of separation. White lily buds given to a woman at sunrise restore youth.

Color plays a huge role. So, white flowers are a symbol of innocence, purity, pink ones are a sign of tenderness and love; red is a symbol of passion or forbidden secret. Many people plant flowers at home - this is also a ritual, a tribute to that life far from us, when all people were closely connected with nature and its forces.

Army rituals

Modern army rituals are a manifestation at a new level of life of ancient rituals generally characteristic of the male population. Being the most conservative force, the army carries out rituals that have been known since ancient times almost unchanged. The very wearing of a uniform is a certain military ritual; it is not without reason that the army has an almost sacred attitude towards uniforms. Carrying a weapon can also be considered a ritual, as our ancestors did: on the left side of the belt, so that it would be convenient to quickly remove the sword from the sheath, and later the pistol from the holster. Cleaning weapons also belongs to magical rituals, however, in in this case having very practical applications.

The most important army ritual is the oath, the roots of which can easily be found in the initiation rite, which turns a young man into an adult member of the tribe, into a real warrior and hunter. In the modern army, the oath is taken very solemnly, with the invitation of the soldiers’ parents, military marches, with a beautiful text of the oath, which includes an oath.

An example of ritual fetishism is the veneration of the banner of a regiment or other military unit (remember that in war, soldiers protect the banner with their bodies). The custom of giving honor to a senior in rank comes from ancient rituals of good wishes. The army hierarchy of power practically repeats the subordination of ancient peoples to their leaders.

In many modern military units there are also informal traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. There is magic at the core of these traditions, often not recognized by soldiers who consider these rituals simply special rules. A huge number of army rituals are associated with the concept of “grandfathers,” i.e., old-timers. According to one of the most common rituals, grandfathers shave their heads a hundred days before the order and do not eat the butter provided in the canteen.

Russian hospitality

Since ancient times, the Slavs treated their elders and guests who arrived in peace with great respect. According to information received from ancient chronicles, the Slavs were hospitable even to their enemies, who could find not only lodging for the night, but also bread in any Slavic village.

Even today, the Russian people are famous for their hospitality - arriving guests are always received with joy, even if their appearance is not very opportune. This tradition is especially preserved in small towns and villages. Local residents kindly explain the route to visitors and, if necessary, even provide the opportunity to spend the night.

From Old Slavonic language The beautiful and capacious word “hospitality” has entered the modern Russian language. According to ancient traditions, the Slavs never took money from a traveler for either bread or salt. Later, all dear guests began to be greeted with bread and salt placed on a beautiful towel embroidered by the hostess. Guests, having broken off a piece of kalach, had to dip it in salt and eat it, thus showing respect for the hosts. Salt was served with bread because it was never added to the dough, and over time it became one of the symbols of Russian hospitality.

Formally, today such a tradition has been preserved only in wedding customs, but in no Russian house a guest will remain hungry, even if he is not presented with bread and salt on the doorstep. The tradition of hospitality and hospitality goes back to ancient times, when all Slavs believed that a poorly received guest could later cause damage to the house and its inhabitants. Evidence of this is the Russian proverb that has survived to this day: “Bread and salt conquers the robber.”

The hosts, when receiving guests, put all their supplies on the table, regardless of costs, and spent a long time persuading everyone to help themselves. Sometimes such hospitality was expensive for visitors: in the morning they suffered from gluttony and excess alcohol. Over time, the Russian people developed a saying: “It is commanded to rest, but to resign is a sin.”

In turn, when invited to any celebrations, be it a wedding, baptism, name day or housewarming, guests were sure to come with gifts, smartly dressed. The closest guests came with personally baked bread and salt poured into a beautiful clay or wooden salt shaker, which immediately took pride of place on the festive table. To this day, the symbol of Russian hospitality is a festive, brimming salt cellar, or salt cellar, as it used to be called in Rus'.

The wonderful tradition of hospitality, changing over the centuries, has acquired modern features without changing its essence - a respectful attitude towards everyone who comes to the house. The art of properly receiving guests and visiting beautifully became the basis for the emergence of etiquette, which is still impossible to do without today.

Religious rites and rituals

At the dawn of mankind, all peoples were pagans: they believed in the powers of the spirits of nature, worshiped them, sacrificed animals and even people. The first religious rituals appeared already in the Stone Age, when priests or wise men performed cults and led the process of sacrifices and prayers. Later, Buddhist brahmins performed religious rituals on the lands of Hindustan, and a few centuries later the first Christians and Muslims appeared, and religious rituals acquired a completely new meaning - they contained a symbol of worship of the one God. Since then, over the course of many centuries, people have changed, the names of states have changed, even the climate on our planet has changed, but religious rituals - one of the most conservative phenomena on earth - are performed as before. Instead of ancient wise men, sorcerers and priests, priests conduct church rituals, and instead of pagan temples, temples, mosques, and cathedrals serve as venues for rituals.

The main goal of a religious ritual is to convey prayers to the one God, faith in Whom helps many generations of people to live on Earth. Ritual objects - icons, candles, censers, crosses - help in performing rituals and therefore have such great sacred significance.

Rituals of modern Hinduism

The rituals of Hinduism have changed significantly over the centuries, as has the religion itself. The basis of Hinduism is the belief in the connection of man with secret forces. The rituals of this religion were in close connection with the world of stars, with the periods of full and new moons, with changes in nature. Like other ancient religions, Hinduism had many rituals aimed at establishing a closer connection between man and the forces of nature. The features of ancient Hindu rituals are recorded in works of ancient literature - the Vedas and Upanishads, dating back more than 2.5 thousand years. According to the Vedas, the ancient priest, the Aryan, sacrificed an animal to appease the deity. The sacrifice was performed using fire, sacred to the Hindus.

Nowadays, gifts are brought to the Hindu deity, puja, in the form of wreaths of flowers and fruits, incense sticks, and delicious dishes. Services are held near the image of the deity, ritual songs and dances are held.

For almost 3 thousand years, rituals have been performed by Brahmin priests; their role in Indian society is quite large. Even common household rituals among Hindus are performed with the desirable participation of a priest called a purohita. To this day, India still has a caste of untouchables who do not have the right to go to temples and invite priests home. In recent years, the movement of untouchables for their rights, primarily for permission to participate in religious life, has intensified. Many Hindus from the untouchable caste perform rituals according to the ancient Vedas, when there was no strict division into castes and, accordingly, prohibitions on performing rituals.

Buddhism and its rituals in the modern world

Buddhism, unlike most other religions, has never had a church organization or centralized government. Buddhists are united in one thing: they preserve three basic values ​​- Buddha, dharma and sangha. At the same time, Buddha is a special being who has reached the heights of possible life on earth; dharma - the law discovered by Buddha and explaining everything that happens around; sangha is a community of equals.

Currently, in many Asian countries and in Russia (Kalmykia, regions near Mongolia), Buddhism is preached, although in very different forms and manifestations. Thus, the most exotic secular rituals take place in Japan, and in the rest of Asia, Buddhism is widespread in numerous monasteries.

In 1956, in the year of celebrating the 2500th anniversary of Buddhism, Indian Minister of Justice B. R. Ambedkar called on Indians of the untouchable caste to preach Buddhism, which does not recognize caste in principle. In one day, more than 500 people converted to Buddhism, and the minister was declared a bodhisattva after his death. Many people began to preach Buddhism in the following years, and the Indian government allocated sums of money for the development of Buddhist institutes.

In Burma at the end of the twentieth century. there were about 25 thousand monasteries and temples. Very often, people become Buddhist monks for a period of time, for example, 2–3 months. Having entered the sangha, monks strictly perform all rituals (mainly meditation) and perform all spiritual practices. It is believed that in this way a person earns a special merit for himself, a lunya, which will help later produce a happy reincarnation. More than 80% of Burma's population are practicing Buddhists.

Tibet is famous for its monasteries with secret rituals and traditions. Until the middle of the twentieth century. Every family in Tibet sent one (and sometimes two) sons to become monks; every seventh resident was a monk in Tibetan society.

In China, several Buddhist monasteries of a unique direction have survived to this day - the rituals in them combine Buddhist meditation with shamanic rituals.

All Buddhists shave their heads bald, wear special clothes and most often observe the laws of celibacy.

Easter

The great Christian holiday, which has roots in the pagan past of our people, is one of the most beloved holidays of the year. All Easter week Christians prepare special dishes, paint eggs, visit and receive guests, glorifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The ancient Slavs, like many other peoples of the world, many centuries ago revered the chicken egg as a sacred object, often making it a fetish and offering it as a gift to deities. The egg contains the eternal mystery of the continuation of life.

With the advent of Christianity in Rus', a red-painted egg as a symbol of new life, a sign of the sun, became the main attribute of Easter, the great spring holiday. Millions of people around the world exchange colored eggs, without thinking about the mysterious symbolism of the egg, but attributing this tradition to the late Christian ones.

U Eastern Slavs An integral attribute of Easter are Easter cakes, which are a symbol of ancient breads offered as gifts to the pagan gods. Long before the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs baked loaves of bread from coarse flour and sour milk in ancient ovens, decorated them with fruits and took them to the temple during the most important rituals. Later, this tradition of gift-giving was adopted and reworked by the Christian Church, and now all believers consecrate Easter cakes in churches, like other Easter dishes.

Using the example of Great Easter, the process of transformation of ancient pagan cults into Christian cults is clearly traced. This process also affected other Russian holidays: Christmastide, Ivan Kupala, Elijah's Day, Parent's Day and many others. Christian church, having only slightly modified the ancient cult customs, erected in their place their own rituals, quite understandable to believers, since they are built on traditional Russian beliefs.

Magic rituals accompanying the sessions of white and black magicians, as well as all kinds of healers, and folk superstitions

Modern magical rituals, having passed through centuries, have amazingly retained their impact on the minds and souls of many people. Even if a person declares that he has absolutely no faith in either magicians or healers, he most often fears the number 13 or, upon returning from the threshold, always looks in the mirror.

These simple superstitions are embedded in us at the genetic level in those days when people directly depended on the mercy of nature and did not yet know how to deal with the elements.

Signs and superstitions

Man is superstitious by nature; he has been vulnerable to all sorts of natural forces and various misfortunes for too long to avoid becoming like that. Over the centuries, signs and superstitions have developed that have become firmly entrenched in our seemingly completely rational life. Apparently, in human society there is always a place for the mysterious and magical, and a significant place.

The largest number of signs are associated with nature. This is understandable: man, depending on nature, carefully observed any changes in the behavior of birds, domestic and wild animals, solar and lunar eclipses, winds, rains, etc. Based on observations, signs appeared that partially explained the origin of this or that natural phenomenon.

Many rituals performed by our ancestors and which have survived to this day are associated with superstitions. So, it is believed that if a person returns from the doorstep for a forgotten thing, he should look in the mirror and smile. The mirror in this case acts as a guide to another world, and a smile is a connection with the forces of the other world.

The mirror, a largely ceremonial and ritual object, is generally involved in many rituals, let us remember Christmas fortune-telling, the fear of broken mirror etc.

It is believed that if someone on the street looked too closely into another's eyes, he could cause damage. In this case, a cleansing ritual was performed: the person had to wash in a bathhouse or bathroom, dry himself with a nightgown turned inside out, and say the words: “Damage, get away from me, do no harm!”

According to old traditions in new house The cat is allowed in first; it is believed that she will be able to drive out the evil spirits that have settled in it from the house. In general, many different signs and superstitions are associated with a cat. Everyone knows that keeping a calico cat at home is good luck, but few people remember why. The fact is that calico cat accompanied the Slavic god Veles, who was considered a powerful patron and protector of people.

Card fortune telling rituals

For most of us, the word “fortune telling” contains a mystical meaning that is attractive in its mystery. Many ancient beliefs and rituals can almost completely disappear from the face of the Earth, and after a significant period of time they can be revived again to a new life. This is approximately how things are with fortune-telling rituals, especially fortune-telling with cards. At the beginning of the 21st century. modern man A person who works on a computer and enthusiastically watches space exploration and the development of nanotechnology can go to a fortune teller to find out his future using fortune cards or palmistry. This mystery of the human psyche has not yet been solved.

Particularly attractive for a person who believes in mysticism, in the possibility of predictions, are fortune telling cards, containing a huge amount and secret symbols, and real information. The ritual of fortune telling on cards attracts many people not only with the opportunity to find out the future, but also with the huge number of options that arise from the layouts.

What kind of fortune-telling on cards has not been known to history! And fortune telling playing cards with four suits, and fortune telling on special cards with special symbols - Tarot cards, and fortune telling on one deck or on several, fortune telling using one card and fascinating, complex solitaire games. They carefully prepared for the fortune-telling ritual, creating the appropriate environment: twilight, candles, silence.

Among the huge number of fortune telling on cards, Madame Lenormand's fortune telling was very popular in France.

As an example, let us give one of the fortune-telling rituals - Solaris (Sun) solitaire. Often, it was with this solitaire game that experienced fortune tellers began a whole series of layouts: during the “Sunshine” process, all the suits were naturally collected in the correct order.

For the layout you need a card deck of 36 cards. The goal of solitaire is to arrange all the cards in the deck into 4 piles by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King.

First, you need to select all four aces and place them in pairs: in the top row are hearts and clubs, below them are spades and diamonds. Then you should take three cards from the deck and place them around the four aces, like rays of the sun, face down. There will only be 2 cards in the last beam.

From the laid out cards, first sixes are selected, then sevens, etc. and placed on the aces according to suit. At the same time, you can move cards from one beam to another according to the seniority of the cards. For example, the jack of spades can be placed on the queen of spades. Once there is nothing left to move, the cards are carefully collected without shuffling. "Solaris" is laid out in a circle 3 times. If all the cards are in order across the four suits, the game of solitaire is complete.

Card fortune-telling rituals not only help to look into the future, but also contribute to the development of memory and logical thinking.

Ancient Celtic divination ritual

From Wales, located in Britain, there are many legends about fairy-tale creatures: trolls, gnomes, elves, fairies. The indigenous people of Wales, the Welsh, still worship the forces of nature and respect the traditions of their ancestors. One of the Welsh traditional rituals is closely related to fortune telling and the making of amulets. This ritual is still widely used today. To perform the ritual, you need dice and wool or cotton threads of 11 colors: white, gray, black, blue, red, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple and pink. Dice (necessarily new ones) must be picked up, shaken in the palms of your hands, without asking any questions, and thrown onto the table. All dropped points should be added up and the answer should be looked for in the following descriptions.

If you have a total of 2 points (one point is rolled on each dice)

This means that you have already met your one and only one with whom you can be happy. To seal love bonds, the Welsh tie 9 knots on a red thread at sunrise, make a wish for love, and sew the talisman into bed linen.

If you have a total of 3 points

This means that an insight will suddenly descend on you and you will understand the reasons why it will be very likely to lose loved ones. Under no circumstances should you let this happen, otherwise instead of friends, only ill-wishers will gather around you. To avoid troubles, you need to tie 2 knots on a pink thread on the new moon, while wanting to strengthen relationships with truly close people. This amulet should be kept in the upper part of clothing.

If you have a total of 4 points

This means that for a long time Fate has been hiding some secret from you - now it is becoming obvious. To understand the secret you need to use magical help: Before noon of any day, tie 7 knots on a blue thread, thinking about what is most important to you at a given time. After this, you need to take 2 small pocket mirrors and put a thread between them. Secure the mirrors in this position with tape and carry them with you in your purse without showing them to anyone. By completing these actions, you will not only learn your own secret, but will also be able to more clearly understand the true thoughts of the people around you.

If you have a total of 5 points

This means that the opportunity has come to reveal the secret relationship of your lover. To avoid any love troubles in the future, you need to tie 6 knots on a yellow thread, thinking about what you expect from love, and then sew the thread to your underwear so that it can be easily transferred from one thing to another on occasion. This talisman will sharpen your intuition and help you avoid unpleasant stories in the future.

If you have a total of 6 points

Fate warns you that soon, due to your own imprudence and gullibility, your affairs will go badly both at home, in your career, and in business. To avoid this, you need to take gray and blue threads of the same length, twist them into one and tie 4 knots on it at sunset, while mentally saying what such a talisman should help against.

If you have a total of 7 points

This means that it is time to step away from the hustle and bustle for a while to restore inner harmony and accept correct solution, which will allow you to find a way to restore previous contacts and relationships. To give your deeds and words strength, you need to tie 7 knots on a purple thread this coming Thursday at sunrise. After this, place the thread on a window that is most often illuminated by the sun.

If you have a total of 8 points

You should not try to take revenge on people whom you consider to be your offenders, but rather forgive them. By doing this, you will not only be spiritually cleansed, but also gain a new charge of strength and see a different path to further spiritual and financial growth. For this to actually happen, you need to tie 15 knots on a green thread during the waning moon, forgiving everyone who has offended you, and asking forgiveness from those you have offended. The knotted thread should be placed on the windowsill for a week and then hidden under the pillow.

If you have a total of 9 points

This means that fate is generous to you and you will be able to fulfill your financial and love desires. In order for all things to be in order, you need to tie 17 knots on an orange thread at sunrise, making any money or love wish. The amulet must be kept at the head of the bed.

If you have a total of 10 points

The dice show that secret intrigues are being woven against you. You should take a close look at the people around you, and to prevent failures, you should tie 7 knots on a blue thread on the waning moon, focusing on what you need to get rid of. The resulting talisman should be left in the left corner of the window sill until the morning, and in the morning put in the left pocket of your clothes and always carried with you.

If you have a total of 11 points

This means that a happy period has come in your life. Fate will reveal a trump card for you - a lucky chance, thanks to which you will gain wealth and love.

In order not to miss out on good luck, on a full moon, standing facing east, you need to twist white and black threads into one and tie 8 knots on it.

The talisman should lie on the windowsill until the morning, and then it should be hung in a visible place in the house.

If you have 12 points

A six fell on both dice - this means that you simply need to pay attention to your health. Also, think about the things that make you doubtful so you don't make the wrong move. To create a talisman, you need to cut off an identical piece from each of the 11 threads, weave them into one cord and hide it in a secluded place.

The ancient Celts made talismans from dyed cotton threads or from colored sheep's wool, which has long been one of the main British goods.

It is necessary to perform the described fortune-telling ritual and prepare talismans in full compliance following rules:

– alone, until 12 o’clock at night;

- without telling anyone about it;

– preferably during the full moon.

Conspiracies and amulets

One of the forms of ancient Russian rituals were conspiracies and spells, which were invented and put into use by priests, healers and various sorcerers. In Rus', conspiracies were also “managed” by sorcerers and sorcerers, and among the northern peoples, by shamans. Today their traditions are continued by modern magicians and wizards. Not a single spell ritual was complete without several pieces of baked clay, coal, salt, grains of rye, barley and wheat. With the help of enchanted objects, sorcerers and shamans communicated with the world of spirits and gods, inaccessible to mere mortals.

At all times, human consciousness has been drawn to everything mysterious and unknown, mysterious and wonderful, and this craving is, to some extent, characteristic of the inhabitants of our planet in the 21st century.

Surprisingly, a modern civilized person, who cannot imagine his life without the latest advances in technology, often resorts to such primitive and at first glance meaningless means of healing or attracting a loved one, such as incantations, spells and amulets.

The most common conspiracies are love ones. With their help, you can attract the attention and love of another person, make you jealous, arouse passion and much more. At least, this is what various magicians and sorcerers who study ancient Slavic traditions say.

Here is one example of an ancient Russian conspiracy to “put a love spell on a girl.” The young man was advised to take a honey gingerbread baked in a Russian oven, enter a hotly heated bathhouse, wipe the sweat with a clean rag, squeeze drops of sweat onto the gingerbread and say the following words: “At sea on the Ocean, on the island of Buyan, there was a tree, birds sat on it and threw branches on the ground. The demons picked up the branches and took them to Satan Satanovich. You, thin demon, light up the heart of (the girl’s name) and all the joints for me, let my word be strong!” After these words, the gingerbread should be carefully hidden. Such conspiracies are still in use today among modern magicians, and even, perhaps, bring the desired result to those who strongly believe in them.

A large group of conspiracies in Rus' was directed against one of the most common vices - drunkenness. According to one of these conspiracies, you had to wait until the drunk fell asleep, take the wax in your hands and say to him: “Dawn is a beautiful maiden, the moon is bright, the stars are clear, take from me insomnia, the midnight office, take away the cursed power from me, and give Savior's hand to me, Bogoroditsyn Castle. I know the holy signs!” A piece of wax should have been sewn into the drunkard’s clothes without him knowing about it. This amulet was supposed to ward off the patient from an unpleasant vice.

Treatment of the sick could not be done without spells and spells. This is how, for example, the text of the conspiracy for toothache looks like: “Mother nettle, holy tree! I have a servant of God (name), he has worms on his teeth, and you take them out, and if you don’t take them out, I will dry you up! (a large branch of nettle should have been tied to the ground, tilted, and untied after recovery).”

Many conspiracies were devoted to protection from black sorcerers, from all kinds of evil spirits, from the evil eye. Conspiracies for fishing, against insects, against theft, and even for fistfights and the successful completion of a task were common in Rus'. Special conspiracies existed for searching for treasure, for collecting the treasured fern flower for the day of Ivan Kupala, for the barking of a dog: “The blind woman was whelping, now become dumb (the conspiracy should have been spoken 3 times and spat on the left side).”

According to conspiracies, amulets were also made - various items, helping the action of a particular spell. Amulets could be both charmed amulets and completely everyday objects: a piece of wax, a sliver of wood, a woman’s jewelry. Modern amulets are all kinds of astrological and zodiac pendants and earrings, pectoral crosses, amulets from ornamental and precious stones, small clay, porcelain, bone and wooden figurines of people or animals, bunches of dried herbs. The belief in the power of little protectors has come to us from time immemorial and often helps us cope more easily with various life difficulties.

Money rituals

Money rituals arose simultaneously with the advent of money, too great importance they had in any society. What kind of spells and rituals have not been invented over many hundreds of years to attract money!

One of the ancient Russian monetary rituals is associated with aspen, a generally special tree in Rus' (remember the aspen stake against vampires). In this case, the aspen embodies the money tree, since its leaves were shaped like large gold coins.

To get rich, you should certainly during the golden autumn period, when the aspen leaves acquire a certain color, on Tuesday, at 12 noon, go up to the aspen, shake it slightly and say: “The aspen blooms in the spring, grows in the summer, and showers me with gold in the fall. So, just as the leaves on the aspen tree never fade, so I have money.” According to the ritual, you cannot approach the same aspen tree twice in one year and generally use this ritual more than three times.

The influence of the moon is closely associated with money rituals. Most often, the ritual involves the time of the waxing moon and the use of a paper bill. Here is one of the rituals. You should take a new paper bill, wait for an even day of the month and day of the week (for example, the second of April, Thursday) and on the waxing moon say the words over the bill: “As there is a lot of dirt in the swamp, stars in the sky, so there is a lot of wealth for me. Month, grow, grow, and give me, servant (servant) of God (name), wealth. Amen". The spell should be recited three times, then the bill should be placed in the eastern corner of the room for 7 days. After this, the money should definitely be spent on a good cause, maybe part of it for charity. This ritual serves a person only three times in his life.

Money rituals are often associated with the number 5. To perform such a ritual, you need to take a 5-ruble coin and carry it with you under your clothes so that no one can see. This must be done for 50 days. After this, give the coin to the beggar, take the same one and say over it: “I go to the market as a merchant, I return on a horse as a fine man. I'm bringing the treasure home. God grant me so much money that I have nowhere to put it. Amen". Take the coin with you to the market and definitely spend it.

Several money rituals are associated with the church. Here's one of them. You should put on a cross, go to church on Wednesday, but not on the day of a church holiday or the 13th, and stand in front of the Royal Doors. You must open your wallet exactly at noon and say three times: “My cross is on me, the cross is above me. Whoever steals money from a wallet will die from the second cross. Amen". After this, you should leave the church, not light a candle and not be baptized. Three days after the ritual, you must come to the church again and donate a small amount for its needs.

Many housewives, going to church for services, hide a small bag of flour in their bosom, and upon returning home, sprinkle themselves with this flour, saying: “Bread gives birth to money, money gives bread. The Lord was born. The Lord was baptized. Just as the church is rich, so I will be rich. Amen". It is believed that this way money will appear at home.

It is considered a good sign for the appearance of money if the birds quickly eat all the grain scattered in front of them.

In order to attract money to your home, you can arrange a ritual of planting a money tree. In order for it to bring wealth, it cannot be bought or taken entirely from anyone. You should slowly break off a branch and plant it in a pot, and then take good care of it.

According to another ritual, “washing” coins on the first day of the New Year will help you get rich.

It is believed that you will have money if you make a wish while holding a coin in your left hand at the first strike of the clock on New Year's Day. You should immediately throw the coin into a glass of champagne, drink the champagne, and take out the coin and make a hole in it, so that you can then wear it as a talisman.

Another New Year’s money ritual looks like this: when disassembling the Christmas tree after all the holidays, the first thing you should do is take off your favorite toy, preferably an old one, put it on your palm and say: “You don’t lie there, don’t wait for Christmastide, be with me, serve faithfully. Amen!" The toy should be hung in a visible place until the next New Year.

In addition to rituals and signs, there are several everyday prohibitions. For example, you cannot cut your nails and hair on any days except Tuesday and Friday; You can’t keep a broom at home with the handle up; you cannot lend money on Tuesday; You cannot give an empty wallet; You can’t whistle at home; You cannot borrow before the New Year.

Going to the store for major purchase, you can perform the following ritual: mix several sprigs of dried mint with ground cinnamon, rub them in your palms, imagining at the same time how the money spent comes back to you threefold.

Ritual of time

From the very beginning of his existence, man has been closely connected with the seasons. People's ideas about time were preserved and transmitted along with calendars. Currently, almost the entire population globe uses the so-called Gregorian calendar, adopted in 1852 by the Pope Gregory XIII, and before there were a huge number of very different time systems among different peoples of the world.

The entire life of the people, their way of life and culture were connected with the calendar. Calendars created by the people, over many centuries of existence, accumulated knowledge and skills of people, collective experience.

Scientists claim that the very first calendars appeared in the Stone Age, and the first creators of calendars were hunters and gatherers.

Ancient people made notches on stone, animal bone, mammoth tusk, wooden tool, clay pot, stone or clay amulets-pendants.

Completely dependent on the forces of nature, people closely monitored changes in nature, the changing seasons, time of day, the movement of the Moon and the Sun, and the light of distant stars.

The earliest calendars, which have retained their popularity to this day, are lunar ones, which were based on the changes in the phases of the Moon. With the help of such calendars, many Religious holidays, including Easter.

Everyone knows the unique stone calendar - Stonehenge in England. 29 holes (according to the number lunar days) around stone pillars, according to some scientists, were ancient lunar calendar. Every day the stone was moved to the next hole, thus monitoring the movement of time.

With the development of agriculture, people began to depend even more on the mercy of the weather and noticed that 4 different seasons could be distinguished: rainy autumn, snowy winter, warm spring and hot summer. Observations have shown that the seasons follow one another due to the movement of the sun. Many ancient societies developed weather forecasting rituals that still exist today, only in a modern form and under the guidance of the science of meteorology.

Over time, people began to distinguish not only seasons, but also months, and a solar calendar arose, based on solar year. For many peoples, the names of the months reflected either the state of the weather or the beginning of agricultural work (“grass” - May; “leaf fall” - October; “section” - February). The name of cold February comes from the fact that it was at this time that the Slavs began to cut down trees, freeing up land for arable land.

According to the calendars, agricultural work was carried out, taxes were collected, dams were built, and rituals were performed for all occasions.

Among the ancient Slavs, the most common calendar was wooden faceted sticks, on which notches were made on ordinary days, and crosses or circles were drawn on holidays or special days(for example, on days of solar or lunar eclipses). Such calendars were called “traits” and “rez”. Archaeologists also find in the burial mounds other calendars made by our ancestors: bronze or silver vessels decorated with the same signs as wooden calendars. The Slavs came up with a lot of riddles dedicated to the seasons, months, weeks, for example: “12 brothers live together, but do not see each other”; “The bridge stretches for 7 miles, and at the end of the bridge there is a golden mile.”

In ancient China, watches were made from oil-soaked ropes with knots. The rope was set on fire, and when the flame reached the knot, a certain period of time had passed, for example an hour or 2 hours.

Nowadays, we cannot imagine our lives without calendars or without clocks, and we are so accustomed to them that the change of seasons and the perpetual movement of time do not seem surprising to us.

Dictionary

Amulet– from Latin word“amulet”, from the Arabic word “to wear”.

Witch- (in many languages ​​it means “leading” or “knowing”) - a fairy-tale character; in ancient times this was the name given to women with magical abilities. In the Middle Ages, witches were persecuted and burned at the stake.

Druids(from the Gaulish word “priest”, sorcerer) - priests among the Celtic peoples, members of narrow castes. We were making predictions.

Witch Doctor- a person who has certain secret healing knowledge.

Zoroastrians– admirers of fire and light. On this basis a whole religious movement arose.

Initiation- a rite of passage for young people to become full members of the tribe.

Kabbalistics- a medieval mystical movement in Judaism. In a figurative sense, something confusing and incomprehensible.

Calendar- from Latin “debt book”. Debtors paid the established interest on the first day of each month, which was announced by a herald and called “Kalends.”

Caste(from the French and German words “breed”) is a separate social group in some Eastern countries.

Cult- veneration, worship.

Magic(from the ancient Greek word “great”) is an ancient system of ritual actions aimed at solving a problem.

Ritual is a special ritual that accompanies the most important points human life and representing cult actions.

Orgy(from the Latin word “secret rite, festival”) - secret mysteries in honor of ancient deities.

Solitaire(from the French word for patience) is a way of laying out cards for the purpose of fortune telling or entertainment.

Pentagram(from the Greek “pentagon”) is a secret sign depicted on medieval amulets.

Ritual- the order of any ceremony.

Sacramental(from the French word “oath”) – sacred, cherished.

Superstition- an individual prejudice based on the belief that it is possible to influence the future with the help of special actions, talismans and amulets.

Mascot- a magical item that brings good luck. The most common talisman is a horseshoe.

Templars(from the French word for “temple”) - members of a Catholic spiritual order founded during the beginning of the Crusades in the 11th century. in Jerusalem.

Tantra- an ancient doctrine about the nature of the world, it is based on the version of the unity of the feminine and masculine principles.

Tattoo(from the Haitian word for “mark” or the French word for “sign”) is a design on the body that has a symbolic meaning and has been common among many peoples of the world since ancient times.

Tradition(from the Latin word “transfer”) - the preservation and transmission of cultural values ​​of the peoples of the world.

Fetishism(from the French word “idol, talisman”) - a cult of inanimate objects endowed with supernatural properties. IN modern world fetishism manifests itself in belief in amulets and talismans.

Flagellants(from the French word “scourge”) - in medieval Europe a sect of religious fanatics engaged in public self-flagellation.

Sabbat- in medieval legends this was the name for a gathering of witches (translated from Yiddish as “Saturday”).

Shaman– (from a word from the Tungus-Manchu dialect) – a person who is able to communicate with spirits in a state of trance.

Paganism- ancient beliefs of the peoples of the world in the forces of nature and in many deities. Today the term “polytheism” or “polytheism” is more often used.

Conclusion

In human life, everything consists of rituals, some of them more obvious, others vague and hidden. A person is born, he is necessarily bathed in water - a ritual. Then the baby is brought to the mother's breast - a ritual, and this continues throughout his life until death.

But the most wonderful, the brightest and at the same time the most unsolved ritual so far is love. A person strives for something throughout his entire adult life, achieves something in his personal life or career, or both, but not a single person on our planet can do without the sacred ritual of love. This ritual is as old as humanity, and for the same number of years legends have been made up about it, poetry and prose have been dedicated to it.

In parting, I would like to wish our reader that his ritual of love will always be bright and beautiful, like everything good and best on Earth.

Why are you snapping your fingers all the time?
- And I’m the one who scares away the crocodiles.
- So they don’t live here?!
- That’s why they don’t think that I scare them away.
(Old joke)

All kinds of rituals have been an integral part of our lives since birth. Somewhere rituals become closer to habits (you kiss your child before leaving for work or check the lock on the front door before going to bed), somewhere they become part of social group folklore (a surgeon will never accept “gratitude” before an operation, a thief will not steal a deck of cards; pilots do not like to be photographed before a flight).

In most cases, rituals are harmless, but sometimes they take the form of severe obsessive states, when a person loses touch with reality and commits repeated meaningless actions. But if this “ritual behavior” can be explained by the presence of various kinds of phobias in the patient, then what makes mentally healthy people commit such senseless acts?

What are the rituals?

Rituals can be roughly divided into two categories - positive (or rituals of help) And negative (or rituals of avoidance). The first type includes such “magical actions” that a person performs in order to enlist the support of certain “ higher powers" A huge number of positive rituals can be found in student folklore, especially in that part that concerns passing exams and defending scientific papers: rubbing the nose of the border guard’s dog with a record book at the Ploshchad Revolyutsii station, leaning out of the window at midnight and having the strength to shout “Freebie, catch yourself!”, put all the notes and textbooks on the subject under your pillow, or put a Soviet nickel in your shoe under the right heel.

Negative rituals “help” to avoid potential troubles. As a rule, the wording of such rituals sounds like a strict prohibition: do not wish for “quiet watch” (for emergency workers), do not cut your hair (for pregnant women), do not drop rings under any circumstances (for those getting married), and so on.

A little history: From an ancient temple to business etiquette

Any adherent of this “home magic” will tell you that all rituals and signs have a real basis. However, upon closer examination it turns out that this base is quite flimsy:

The word “ritual” itself comes from the Latin ritualis - ritual. For our ancestors, ritual rites were, on the one hand, a unique way of communicating with the supernatural forces of nature (for example, rituals of “appeasement” of pagan gods), and on the other hand, they served to “legitimize” the position and relations between fellow tribesmen (a striking example is the initiation rites that existed almost any nation). Many of these rituals have sunk into oblivion, others have acquired a religious-practical form (they have become church rituals), and others have completely lost their magical flavor and become part of the civil code. business etiquette and diplomatic protocol.

Today, scientists know a huge number of ancient rites and rituals. And who would have thought that in the 21st century the most bloodthirsty of them would become especially widespread: for example, in criminal, military and professional environments, ritual initiation sometimes looks no less cruel than an ancient sacrifice.

Historical realities

It can indeed be said about such rituals and signs that they have at least some real basis, but this too has been lost over time. This, for example, refers to the belief that spilled salt portends a quarrel. According to researchers, this sign arose several hundred years ago, when salt was such an expensive product that not only quarrels, but even entire riots arose because of it.

Personal experience

It's no secret that the human mind has a tendency to generalize. This mechanism allows us, when we find ourselves in an unfamiliar situation, not to “reinvent the wheel”, but to use ready-made schemes developed in similar situations in the past. But sometimes this mechanism plays a cruel joke on us: we mistake a single event for a manifestation of some common law, operating throughout the system. In other words, if you met a neighbor with a full bucket in the morning, and in the afternoon you were promoted, a false cause-and-effect relationship may become entrenched in your mind. And since man is an extremely sociable creature, we immediately share our experience with our fellow tribesmen, and our particular case quickly becomes an unwritten rule.

Homo sapiens - scared man

Why does a modern person, who cannot be surprised by flights to the moon and computers the size of a matchbox, take the presence of black cats on the road so close to his heart? Let's try to highlight several characteristic features that determine such a strong influence of rituals on our lives.

• Ritual is meaningless action
• The main goal of any ritual is to enlist the support of “higher powers”
• Ritual is hope for a miracle
• Rituals allow no variations
• The “realizability” of the ritual is not necessary
• Ritual is a setup for good luck

Like the ancient hunters who drew a mammoth on the ground and symbolically pierced it with spears, we use rituals to create a certain “mindset for victory.” After all, you must admit that long sports training, sleepless nights over textbooks or many years of professional practice are of course good, but a little more confidence in the form of a “lucky shirt” will never hurt.

It turns out that any ritual is a cunning psychological trick, something like an injection of optimism and self-confidence. And it’s good if the effect of the “magic elixir” ends here (the benefits of auto-training have not been canceled). But aren’t we creating the illusion that with a simple set of actions and words we can get anything we want, and at the same time avoid well-deserved troubles?

© N. Aksenova, 2010
© Published with the kind permission of the author

Greetings. It is better if this ritual is developed by the group itself. Its options are extremely varied. For example, in the first minutes of the lesson, participants move around the room and, meeting a partner, alternately touch elbows, knees and silently smile at each other. Options for non-verbal greetings can be touching shoulders, feet - according to the same principle of “everyone - with everyone”. You can also agree on the use of verbal means, for example, participants must say a few warm words to each other without repeating themselves. new meeting: on the first day - to compliment your appearance, on the second - to emphasize the brightest advantage, on the third to praise for a specific act or act of behavior in class, and so on, on the last - to highlight what “I learned from you.” Methods of general greeting are also used: standing in a circle, participants raise their clasped hands up.

Parting. This refers not only to the ritual of finishing the group’s work, but also to the end of each lesson. A very popular general circle is where participants stand for a minute and eyes closed, placing his hands on the shoulders of his comrades and mentally conveying to the group his positive emotions and good wishes. Almost always this procedure is accompanied by slight rocking and a feeling of lightness and flight.

Traditional lesson plan. It is also a ritual that influences the participants due to its repetition. The scheme, or structure, of the lesson may be different. In our work we often adhere to the following:

1. Greeting.

2. Well-being survey (participants immediately immerse themselves in the “here and now” atmosphere, reflecting on their emotional and physical state, reporting their thoughts and expectations in relation to the upcoming lesson, sometimes talking about dreams they had the day before).

3. Suggestion by the presenter of the topic of the lesson (sometimes it can be determined not based on the preliminary plans of the presenter, but formulated as a result of requests expressed by group members during the previous step).

4. A parable told by the presenter (it serves as a kind of epigraph to the upcoming work and, due to its metaphorical nature, sets a certain program for the subconscious of the participants).

5. Warm-up exercises.

6. The main (working) part (in which passive exercises are interspersed with outdoor games - both of them almost always end in discussion and reflection).

7. Summing up the results of the lesson (statements by participants in a circle about their current state, comprehension of the work done, wishes and suggestions to the presenter).

8. Presenter's summary (if necessary). Often - in the form of a parable.

9. Farewell.

Each stage of the lesson is a ritual action in itself (with the exception of the actual working part, which always, naturally, takes up the lion's share of time).

Applause. They can also become a ritual if the group customizes them with every successful completion of an exercise, a courageous act (for example, declaring oneself as a volunteer) or a subtle and witty statement.

Questions and tasks for self-control

1. What “magical” functions of rituals should a practical psychologist know about? What is the essence of these “magic” functions?

2. What concepts are revealed in the following definitions:

a. "...... is the order of performing certain actions established by tradition."

b. "...... is a kind of behavioral metaphor in which some objects or actions are replaced by others, i.e. they appear in the meaning of others."

c. "...... is nothing more than a form of gaming activity."

3. What is the essence of psychotherapy with sign systems?

4. Insert the correct word into the following statement about the connection between rituals and mythologies:

“Ritual is then an effective psychological means when its sign system turns out to be......... the mythology that a person has.”

5. What is the peculiarity of the unconscious perception of idiomatic expressions? Can this feature be used practical psychologist?

6. The following statement is true or false:

1. “Rituals always and under all conditions perform a psychotherapeutic function.”

2. “If the rules of the game (ritual) are accepted at a conscious level (that is, they correspond to human mythology) and are properly understood by the subconscious (that is, their literal meaning coincides with a positive picture of future changes), then the result is a useful psychotherapeutic effect.”

3. “Rituals do not play the role of psychotherapeutic techniques, but only help a person to structure his life activities.”

7. Explain the essence of the psychophysiological mechanism of action of the “anchor” in ritual from the point of view of neurolinguistic programming.

8. Do rituals always arise spontaneously in a training group or can they be suggested by the facilitator?

9. Give examples of rituals used in psychological trainings.

The modern world is almost devoid of rituals - at least in the form we traditionally imagine them. Those that remain, such as the rituals that revolve around holidays, have largely lost their power and most often carry no content beyond memorized repetition. Nevertheless, every culture in every part of the world at some point in its development represented a complex system of rituals and rites. Rituals were a kind of social technology. This mechanism could solve problems, change status and bring tangible results. They have been used for thousands of years to display and express emotions and to build personal and tribal identities. They had a transformative effect, helped to bring order to chaos and navigate in space and time. Rituals were the meaning of life, the more difficult it is for us now that we are deprived of rules that can be applied to various situations.

What is a ritual?

Professor Catherine Bell, a ritual researcher and author of a monograph written on the subject, defines ritual as “a habitual action that has become so internalized that the original reason for it can be forgotten.” The simplest example of a ritual is shaking hands when meeting. There is no real reason why grabbing someone else's hand and shaking it should accompany dating. This gesture is so ingrained in our minds that we don’t even think about the fact that we can successfully replace a handshake with a regular nod of the head or a couple of words of greeting.

On the other hand, the ingrained habit of washing hands after coming from the street is not a ritual, since there is a clear factual relationship between the action and the desired result. But this hygienic procedure can also become ritual, for example, when a priest wets his hands in the baptismal font. This gesture is purely symbolic, and it is the symbolism that determines the essence of the ritual.

Six essential attributes of rituals

Formalism. This property lies in the number of behavioral options acceptable in a given situation. For example, a barbecue outing is very casual and you can behave there as you please, without taking into account any rules. At the same time, a dinner party already has a number of formal rules that cannot be ignored. Thus, ritual characterizes the presence of behavioral patterns from which one cannot deviate.

Traditionalism. Rituals very often developed as activities based on the values ​​and behavior that were current at the time of creation. This connection with the past fills the ritual with sacred meaning and provides the participant with a sense of confidence due to the continuity of tradition.

Discipline. Often seen as one of the most defining features of ritual. This characteristic can be characterized as follows: “a disciplined set of actions, with precise repetition and careful control.” To demonstrate this feature, one can recall the formation of soldiers at a parade, when each of the participants has a specific scenario, many of which make up the overall action.

Management rules. Any ritual is determined by a set of rules. Professional sport is an example of an activity that can be assessed as a ritual, since the rules clearly regulate the actions of the participants. The game in general has a lot in common with ritual, while at the same time not having its own sacredness.

Sacred symbolism. A ritual can use everyday and special objects, involve certain parts of the body, images and transform them into something special and even sacred. Their sacredness indicates something more than the simple set of functions of the object, thereby giving them abstract value. So, there will be incense for the church a clear sign ritual activity, while incense for the home will not be one.

Audience. Ritual in all its manifestations has a specific audience. It could be a god, a group of people, or the person himself performing the action. Thus, the ritual acquires certain theatrical features and becomes a kind of drama that plays out according to a well-known scenario.

The more characteristic a behavior/event/situation has, the more it contrasts with the chaos of everyday life.

The scale of the ritual is not limited by anything. They may be large or small, private or public, personal or social, religious or secular. Funerals, weddings, presidential inaugurations, church services, christenings, fraternal initiations, and tribal ceremonies are all rituals. Handshakes, congratulations, greetings and farewells, dinner etiquette and even getting ready for bed - all this can become a ritual, acquiring the set of characteristics described above.

Where do the rituals go?

In many traditional societies almost every aspect of life was ritualized. Where did the rituals disappear? modern culture? Culturologists call enlightenment the main enemy of ritual consciousness. Awareness of the root causes of events and an increase in the general level of education led to the fact that many traditional actions disappeared and were desacralized. This was largely due to the decrease in religiosity in society. The magical effectiveness of rituals, such as eating the “flesh” and “blood” of Christ or baptism, was perceived by the bearers as exclusively symbolic. Nevertheless, bursts of religiosity and, as a result, rituals, are observed to this day in difficult moments of life, such as war, natural disasters or catastrophes.

The cultural value of the ritual finally declined in the second half of the twentieth century, as personal freedoms and individual responsibility came to the fore. Only one of the functions of rituals has been preserved - identification of belonging to a certain group of people, nation or culture.

Modern rituals

The process of replacing old rituals with new ones is continuous. The signs of the ritual acquire new actions. Thus, watching a football match with beer in the company of friends can be called a new type of ritual, which has everything necessary signs. Likewise, morning exercises can become a personal ritual that has sacred meaning for a particular person. Almost all official events can be classified as rituals. For example, the Oscar ceremony has all the signs of a ritual, and it is this tradition that is especially appreciated by the audience. Nevertheless, an action can be called a full-fledged ritual only when its formality is aimed at improving the quality of the action or its comprehension. For example, this happens in various subcultures, where immersion in formality and tradition signifies a degree of initiation.

Despite the general decline in the value of rituals, it cannot be denied that this is a form of manifestation of culture that leads to the ordering and structuring of human life. The magic of ritual can do very, very much without demanding immediate results in return. Get yourself a couple of small personal rituals and perhaps this will become the basis for larger-scale actions to improve your life.