About this Event
Rituals connect the body, emotions, community, faith, transition, grief, and identity.
What are rituals and why do humans use them? Rituals are intentional actions that carry meaning beyond the action itself. They can be religious, spiritual, cultural, family-based, or completely personal. A ritual might be as simple as making the sign of the cross, lighting a candle, saying a prayer before eating, or wearing something meaningful on a particular occasion. Other rituals are more elaborate and may involve music, specific words, objects, movement, food, water, or an offering.
What makes something a ritual is not necessarily how complicated it is, but the meaning we attach to doing it. Humans use rituals to help us mark important moments and transitions in life. Water provides a beautiful example. In Christian baptism, water can symbolize cleansing, rebirth, death to an old way of life, and entering a new spiritual identity. Water can also appear at the end of life, in religious or cultural practices surrounding washing, preparing, blessing, or honoring the dead. In both situations, water can become a physical symbol of something that is difficult to express with words: beginning, ending, transformation, and release.
Rituals give our emotions and beliefs something tangible to hold onto. Rituals are especially important during periods of change. Adolescence, for example, has traditionally been a time when many cultures created rites of passage to recognize the movement from childhood toward adulthood. Some Indigenous, African, Jewish, pagan, and other cultural traditions have ceremonies that mark maturity, responsibility, identity, or belonging. Within Christianity, confirmation can serve as a ritual through which a young person publicly affirms or deepens their faith.
Across very different traditions, the underlying human purpose can be similar: “Something is changing. I am leaving one stage and entering another, and my community recognizes this change.” Rituals can therefore help people create meaning, remember what matters, connect with others, grieve losses, celebrate beginnings, and understand who they are becoming.
Laure will help us explore why humans across cultures create rituals, how they help us navigate change and loss, and how we might create meaningful rituals of our own.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Blend Wellness Center, 1201 International Parkway, Richardson, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.