This is an image from last weekend's annual Holy Fire Ceremony in Jerusalem. I found it in this phenomenal collection of pictures documenting the various traditions and rituals surrounding Easter celebrations worldwide. Utterly poignant, utterly beautiful. It got me thinking around the concept of 'ritual'. What is it within us humans that finds strange comfort in the ritualisation of annual events? I know this has been customary for centuries past, but it got me wondering (and subsequently Wikipedia'ing like a crazy person) about how these traditions came about, and why they've been carried on - particularly those pertaining to annual religious celebrations.
Because they're beautiful, and meaningful (they mean something), and in an increasingly postmodernised, minimalised, secularised society, I guess the archaically traditional side of me secretly relishes the idea of hundreds of thousands of people each year, carrying out detailed, symbolic, age-old rituals around events that signify something important to them.
After seeing those pictures, and in light of researching the various rich histories behind those cultures' traditions, I can't say with much feeling that it's something us westerners are super good at.
I hope we don't lose our rituals. I hope we don't become too cool for them. I hope I get creative about the rituals I plan to adopt and carry on, and reinvent them for future generations.
Somebody ask me about that next Easter, will you?
I recently heard Tony Campolo speak and he said that 'ritual creates intense loyalty and solidarity'. Some of my favourite memories are rituals and traditions regularly practiced with my family. I am with you on not losing our rituals I hope we can regularly remind each other carry them on. Let's do something memorable next Easter.
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