Ritual communication

"From family traditions like weddings and funerals to state ceremonies and media events, rites and ceremonies mark socially important occasions, define beginnings and endings, and aid social transitions. As formal modes of conduct, rituals and ceremonies are equally ubiquitous, appearing in everything from modes of talk and rules of politeness to elaborate protocols in state events. Rituals, rites, and ceremonies are symbolic social actions, thus modes of communication that implicate individuals in the social order, creating realities while expressing ideas and attitudes about them. Ritual…