‘Rituals are collected memories encoded into actions. They also help people deal with difficult transitions, ambivalent relationships, hierarchies and desires that trouble, exceed, or violate the norms of daily life’.
‘Ritual and play lead people into a ‘second reality’, separate from ordinary life. This reality is where people can become selves other than their daily selves. When they temporarily become or enact another, people perform actions different from what they do ordinarily.’
‘The performing arts, sports, and games combine ritual and play.’
Varieties of Ritual
SACRED
-‘Religious rituals give form to the sacred, communicate doctrine, open pathways to the supernatural, and mould individuals into communities’
-Sacred rituals are those associated with expressing, or enacting religious beliefs.’
SECULAR
Definition: Not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
-Secular rituals encompass anything considered to be a repeated activity, movement or event not associated with a religious belief. For example ones boring routine can be considered a secular ritual at its most basic form. In relation to my essay attending a party with music or a rave is a macro sized secular ritual. However Shcechner recognises that most rituals are a blend of the sacred and secular, take weddings for example. ‘A wedding is the performance of a state sanctioned contract, a religious ceremony, and a gathering of family and friends. Sacred wedding rituals include cutting the cake, throwing the bridal bouquet and the first dance etc.’ In modern society it is standard for the sacred and secular to be separated by having the wedding ceremony in a church and the party elsewhere, usually a pub, hall or garden.
-Schencher and Eisenberg both note that the mixing of secular and sacred is common to many celebrations or life events such as birthdays, funerals, retirement, job-related celebrations and christenings. It is interesting that Schechner uses the phrase ‘numerous holidays punctuating the calendar’ for he notices that these ‘rituals’ (almost all accompanied by music) become the ‘architecture of time’. (Eisenberg)
NOTE: This will be a cool comparison to make in my essay, the flow from Schechner to Eisenberg will flow this way.
It would also be interesting to distinguish the difference between sacred and secular in party form. The focus of my essay is on particular places such as the Loft, the Music Box, Paradise Garage etc exclusive party spaces intended for deep listening and serious dancing. Fast forward to modern day it is rare that party goers will attend the same place week in week out, the same way people would attend church. I must make sure to distinguish the difference between a casual ‘night out with the lads’ and an intense musical journey.