- Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually
religious act orprocess art . Rites fall into three major categories:
*rites of passage , generally changing an individual's social status, such asmarriage ,baptism , orgraduation .
* rites of worship, where a community comes together to worship, such asJew ishsynagogue or Mass
* rites of personal devotion, where an individual worships, including prayer andpilgrimage s such as theMuslim Hajj .Christian
Within
Christianity , "rite" often refers to what is also called asacrament or to the ceremonies associated with the sacraments. In Roman Catholicism, for example, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is one of the three that are administered to someone who is dying or is seriously ill. Because in the years before theSecond Vatican Council the Anointing of the Sick was reserved for those in immediate danger of death, it was traditionally known as the "last rites". Others sacraments that could be celebrated with the Anointing of the Sick included Penance andEucharist (administered asViaticum in the case of a dying person).The term also refers to a body of liturgical tradition usually emanating from a specific center. Examples include the
Roman Rite , theByzantine Rite , and theSarum Rite . Such rites may include various sub-rites. For example, the Byzantine Rite has Greek, Russian, and other ethnically-based variants. For a full list of Christian liturgical rites, seeChristian liturgy .Masonic
In
North America , Freemasons have the option of joining theScottish Rite and/or theYork Rite , two appendant bodies that offer additional degrees to those who have taken the basic three.ee also
*
Ceremony
*Rites: a Confucian philosophical concept
*Ritual
*Ambrosian Rite
*Chaldean rite
*Process Art
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.