Rituals: Our anchors in a changing world

仪式:我们在不断变化的世界中的锚

The Forum

社会与文化

2023-03-09

48 分钟
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From coronations to cup finals, many of us love a big event, a ceremony with age-old observances. Indeed rituals, whether public spectaculars or more personal ones, such as a particular daily routine, have been part of human experience since time began. But why do rituals persist even though so many of them seem to serve no obvious practical purpose? Rajan Datar looks for clues in our past with the help of Egyptologist Dr. Elizabeth Frood and historian of Venice Prof. Edward Muir. It turns out that non-human animals – for instance elephants - also display ritual-like behaviour and not always for practical reasons. We hear from a leading behavioural ecologist, Dr. Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell. We examine whether rituals really do remain unchanging through time: it might seem to be their essential characteristic but in reality they continuously evolve. And what about the power of contemporary collective ceremonies and the strong emotions that swell inside us from being part of a huge crowd? Anthropologist Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas gives us his insights. (Photo: Shinto priests conduct the Oharae ritual in Tokyo. Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
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  • Welcome to the forum from the BBC.

  • Well, service with me, Rajan Datta.

  • Today we're talking about rituals from private ones to the very public.

  • From the coronation of a British monarch.

  • Her Majesty returns the orb and the.

  • Archbishop now places a pond the fourth.

  • Finger of her right hand, the ring.

  • This is often called the wedding ring of England, to a football match.

  • To.

  • A funeral rite in Bali.

  • Rituals seem to permeate our lives, so many of us engage in them.

  • Now, what's interesting about rituals is that they're not usually designed to provide a practical outcome and they often have very little legal value.