Rites and rituals are symbolic acts that are important for creating social relations and shared meaning. Rituals typically involve a prescribed sequence of actions and the use of symbolic objects or behaviors. There are various types of rituals, including rites of passage which involve stages of separation, transition, and incorporation; and sympathetic versus contagious rites. Rituals can serve different purposes and are found in both religious and secular events. While some argue rituals have been sacrificed for modern event management, others believe ritual remains essential for creating authentic and meaningful experiences.

1. Rites and ritual
Celebration Events | By Ashley Garlick

2. Rites and ritual
Celebration Events | By Ashley Garlick

3. Definition
• A series of actions completed in a prescribed
order
• Usually associated with religion
• Intended to transform

4. Douglas, M. (1966). Purity & Danger, Oxon: Routledge, p.77
"Social rituals create a reality which would be
nothing without them. It is not too much to say
that ritual is more to society than words are to
thought. For it is very possible to know
something and then find words for it. But it is
impossible to have social relations without
symbolic acts."
- Mary Douglas

5. Ritual includes four
key elements
• A clear sequence of ritual actions to be
performed;
• Performance role(s);
• A ritual audience;
• Ritual artefacts that hold symbolic meaning
Source: Rook, D.W. 1985, The ritual dimension
of consumer behaviour. Journal of
Consumer Research, 12(1), pp.251-264)

6. Rituals are both symbolic
and instrumental
"Rituals are instrumental actions"
Santino, J. (2011). The Carnivalesque and the Ritualesque. Journal of American Folklore, 124(491), pp.61-73.

7. The role of symbols
“Symbols communicate and transmit beliefs, behaviours,
culture, narratives, totems, and/or values that give
meaning to ritualistic performances, practices and
processes”
• Can be tangible or intangible
• Can be sacred or secular
• Consider logos, mascots, flags or anthems
• Or rings, hymns, wine or flowers
Source: Garlick, A. and Ali, N., (2020). Liminality and Event Design: Liminal space design for sport events, in: I. Lamond and J. Moss (eds). Exploring Liminality in Critical
Event Studies: Boundaries, Borders, and Contestation, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

8. Symbolic
interactionism
1. "Humans act toward things on the basis of
the meanings they ascribe to those
things."
2. "The meaning of such things is derived
from, or arises out of, the social
interaction that one has with others and
the society."
3. "The meanings are handled in, and
modified through, an interpretative
process used by the person in dealing with
the things he/she encounters."
Source: Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and method. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey.

9. Types of rites
Sympathetic versus contagious

10. Sympathetic
versus contagious
rites
Sympathetic
• Reciprocal action
• What happens to an image will
happen to the subject
• E.g. Voodoo dolls
Contagious
• Characteristics are material and
transmissible
• E.g. Holiness of holy water
Van Gennep, A. (1909). The Rites of Passage: a classic study of
cultural celebrations. Translated from French by M.B. Vizedom
and G.L.Caffee, 1960, Chicago: Chicago Free Press.

11. Types of rites
• Rites of purification
• Rites of passage
• Rites of reversal
• Rites of conspicuous display
• Rites of conspicuous consumption
• Ritual dramas
• Rites of exchange
• Rites of competition
• De-valorisation of rites
Andrews, H. and Leopold, T. (2013). Events and the Social Science. Abingdon, Oxon:
Routledge.

12. Rites of
passage
• Passage from one place to another
• Passage from one status to another
• Passage from one situation to another
• Passage of time

13. Rites of
passage
Rites of separation
Rites of transition
Rites of incorporation
Van Gennep, A. (1909). The Rites of Passage: a classic study of
cultural celebrations. Translated from French by M.B. Vizedom
and G.L.Caffee, 1960, Chicago: Chicago Free Press.

14. Rites of
passage
Pre-liminal
Liminal
Post-liminal
Van Gennep, A. (1909). The Rites of Passage: a classic study of
cultural celebrations. Translated from French by M.B. Vizedom
and G.L.Caffee, 1960, Chicago: Chicago Free Press.

15. Ritualistic events
• Ritual can be found in almost all types of event
• Ritualistic events have played an important part in
the historical development of cultures and form a
part of their rich history
• Both religious and secular, e.g.
• European and American dominance of
Christianity, heavily influences important
events, e.g. weddings, christenings etc.
• Sport events become associated with culture,
such as cricket in the West Indies, or football in
the UK

16. The role of ritual in
modern day events
• Brown and James (2004) argue that ritual has been
sacrificed to give way to modern event management
techniques
• It’s now all about the money and the experience!
• In Garlick and Ali (2020), we argue that ritual is an
essential part of creating an authentic and meaningful
experience, and therefore ritual is more important than
ever.
Source: Garlick, A. and Ali, N., (2020). Liminality and Event Design: Liminal space design for sport events, in: I. Lamond and J. Moss (eds). Exploring Liminality in Critical Event Studies:
Boundaries, Borders, and Contestation, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brown, S., and James, J. (2004). Event Design and Management: Ritual Sacrifice? In I. Yeoman, M. Robertson, J. Ali-Knight, S. Drummond and U. McMahon-Beattie (Eds) Festival and
Events Management, (pp.53-64). Oxford: Elsevier.

17. Conclusion
• Rituals are important in
helping society create and
share meaning
• There are different types of
ritual, which have different
characteristics
• Rites of passage have three
distinct stages

18. Any
questions?

19. Let’s look at an example: The Māori Haka

20. Discussion
1. What is the purpose of this ritual?
2. What is the significance to the
participants?
3. Identify the symbols associated
with a Rugby team

21. Reading before
next week:
• Garlick, A. and Ali, N., (2020). Liminality and Event
Design: Liminal space design for sport events, in: I.
Lamond and J. Moss (eds). Exploring Liminality in
Critical Event Studies: Boundaries, Borders, and
Contestation, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
[Only available in the week 3 folder on Blackboard]