> [!cite]- Metadata > 2025-05-01 01:56 > Status: > Tags: [[5 - Atlas/Tags/Ritual]] [[5 - Atlas/Tags/Myth]] [[Ceremony]] [[Symbols]] [[Language]] `Read Time: 52s` >A ritual is usually a private practice, sometimes secret, often carries our by an individual or a closed community. In contrast, a ceremony is a communal event, involving a gathering of people to witness or participate in the event. Private vs Public Rituals are intentional, symbolic actions that help you bring meaning to your life, connecting you to yourself, to your community, and to the world around you. They include: - Worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults - Rites of passage - Atonement and purification rites - Oaths of allegiance - Dedication ceremonies - Coronations and presidential inaugurations - Marriages - Funerals Just as a language is a system of symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based upon arbitrary rules. In most explanations, language becomes a necessary factor in the theory concerning the nature of ritual, and the specific form of language that is ties to explanations of ritual is the language of myth. Both myth and ritual remain fundamental to any analysis of religion. --- ### **References** [Ritual | Religious, Cultural, & Social Practices | Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/topic/ritual)