Rituals

2024-08-22

This article is part of the IndiWeb Carnival for August 2024, with the topic Rituals. Thanks, Steve, for hosting it.

This is the first time I am participating in the Indiweb Carnival. Rituals seemed like an easy topic to discuss. I wanted to write something about Christmas and how we usually spend Christmas Eve, but it got me thinking a lot in the last few days. Good topic, Steve. 😄

The question I have been racking my brain about is: do I do rituals - do I rather keep traditions - or do I just have routines?

What I found out quickly is that I am not the only one asking this question. A quick DuckDuckGo research revealed a couple of websites comparing the terms.

Now, I know that a ritual is a set of actions or ceremonies performed in a specific order and manner (Source). Typically, they are formalized practices (repeatedly) performed at specific events and often loaded with symbolic meaning - like religious ceremonies, social gatherings or the marking of important life events. In a broader definition, rituals can include personal daily routines. Tradition is the broader term. It describes the passing of beliefs or behaviors from generation to generation. Rituals can be part of a tradition.

Before researching this, I had the feeling that a ritual always has a religious connotation - and thus I was wondering why Steve wrote about coffee.

Now, I understand that, while often performed in religious contexts, a ritual can also be a daily routine that provides a sense of order and predictability. Knowing this, I can totally understand Steve. While I am not that deep in the coffee rabbit hole - I do not measure beans by the gram nor stop the time the water needs to pour through the coffee - making myself a cup of fresh coffee with the portafilter is something that gives me a break in a stressful working day.

With this in mind, I consider the term ritual to mean something you do repeatedly to make yourself feel good. I don’t see a negative connotation (to answer at least one of Steve’s questions).

This means that my daily rituals include coffee brewing, but when I now think of my rituals, I think of dedicated family time. My family lives all across the country, we barely meet spontaneously. A few years ago, we decided to spend one week around the Easter holidays together. What others try to fit in on Christmas Eve, we aim to get from a longer time in a less stressful time of the year. This really works well, and I am always looking forward to the next repetition. 238 days to go.