Ceremony

Ceremony
For other uses, see Ceremony (disambiguation).
Newly commissioned officers celebrate their new positions by throwing their midshipmen covers into the air as part of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2005 graduation and commissioning ceremony.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz salutes Yom Kippur War casualties at an official annual memorial service for fallen soldiers.

A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.

Contents

Ceremonial occasions

A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:

Government ceremonies

Sometimes, a ceremony may only be performed by a person with certain authority. For example, the opening of the United Kingdom Parliament is presided over by the Sovereign (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II). A captain or a higher-ranked naval officer usually supervises the naming and launching of a warship. A wedding is performed by a priest or a Civil Celebrant, as in Australia. The President of the United States is customarily sworn in by the Chief Justice of the United States, and the British sovereign is always crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Celebration of events

Other, society-wide ceremonies may mark annual or seasonal or recurrent events such as:

Other ceremonies underscore the importance of non-regular special occasions, such as:

In some Asian cultures, ceremonies also play an important social role, for example the tea ceremony.

Process

Ceremonies may have a physical display or theatrical component: dance, a procession, the laying on of hands. A declaratory verbal pronouncement may explain or cap the occasion, for instance:

  • I now pronounce you man and wife.
  • I swear to serve and defend the nation ...
  • I declare open the games of ...
  • I/We dedicate this ... ... to ...

Both physical and verbal components of a ceremony may become part of a liturgy.

See also

Notes


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ceremony — «Ceremony» Сингл New Order Сторона «Б» «In a Lonely Place» Выпущен 6 марта 1981 Формат 7 , 12 …   Википедия

  • Ceremony — • In liturgy, an external action, gesture, or movement which accompanies the prayers and public exercise of divine worship Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Ceremony     Ceremony …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Ceremony — Cer e*mo*ny, n.; pl. {Ceremonies}. [F. c[ e]r[ e]monie, L. caerimonia; perh. akin to E. create and from a root signifying to do or make.] 1. Ar act or series of acts, often of a symbolical character, prescribed by law, custom, or authority, in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ceremony — ► NOUN (pl. ceremonies) 1) a formal occasion, typically celebrating a particular event or anniversary. 2) the ritual procedures observed at such occasions. ● stand on ceremony Cf. ↑stand on ceremony ● without ceremony Cf. ↑ …   English terms dictionary

  • ceremony — [ser′ə mō΄nē; ] chiefly Brit [, ser′əmə nē] n. pl. ceremonies [ME cerimonie < L caerimonia, awe, reverent rite, ceremony; prob. < Etr] 1. a formal act or set of formal acts established by custom or authority as proper to a special occasion …   English World dictionary

  • ceremony — late 14c., cerymonye, from M.L. ceremonia, from L. cærimonia holiness, sacredness; awe; reverent rite, sacred ceremony, an obscure word, possibly of Etruscan origin, or a reference to the ancient rites performed by the Etruscan pontiffs at Caere …   Etymology dictionary

  • ceremony — [n1] ritual; celebratory observation ceremonial, commemoration, custom, formality, function, liturgy, observance, ordinance, parade, rite, sacrament, service, show, solemnity, tradition; concept 386 ceremony [n2] etiquette ceremonial, conformity …   New thesaurus

  • ceremony — I noun caerimonia, celebration, commemoration, conventionality, festive occasion, festivity, formal occasion, formality, memorialization, observance, official reception, prescribed procedure, reception, rite, ritual, ritus, solemn observance,… …   Law dictionary

  • ceremony — ceremonial, ritual, liturgy, rite, *form, formality …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • ceremony — noun 1 formal public/religious event ADJECTIVE ▪ brief, short ▪ quiet, simple ▪ elaborate, glittering (BrE), lavish …   Collocations dictionary

  • ceremony — n. formal act 1) to conduct, hold, perform a ceremony 2) a flag raising; formal; funeral; marriage, wedding; opening; religious; solemn; wreath laying ceremony (to perform a religious ceremony) formality 3) to stand on ceremony 4) appropriate… …   Combinatory dictionary

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