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EveryJaadu

Rites, spells and ceremonies

Things done in a set way: cleansings, offerings, blessings, binding and unbinding, initiations.

A flame: fire as it is used in rites of cleansing, offering and passage, from household hearths to great festivals.

A rite is something done in a set way: a cleansing, an offering, a blessing, an initiation, a binding. What marks it out is form, with fixed words, gestures, timing and often a specialist to lead it. Rites exist in every culture, from the Catholic exorcism and the Vedic fire offering to the Yoruba sacrifice and the Aboriginal ceremony. This page describes them as customs, in outline. Here they are described as customs and in outline only.

Parts of a rite

Most rites share a few parts: a prepared space, a purifying act, speech or song, a gesture, an offering, and a closing that returns everyone to ordinary life. Scholars such as Arnold van Gennep called rites of passage a sequence of separation, threshold and return. Many rites also mark a time: the new moon, the solstice, a death, a birth, a wedding. Some are done once in a lifetime and some every day, and the same gesture can be a rite in one house and a habit in the next.

Who may perform

Some rites belong to anyone in the household, such as sweeping the house at new year or tying a thread on a child's wrist. Others need an officiant: a priest, a medium, a shaman or an initiated elder. Women often hold domestic rites and are shut out of public priesthood, though in places such as Korea, the Philippines and parts of Africa women lead spirit rites. A rite is also tied to a community: it is done with others present, who witness it and agree that it counts.

Rites that hurt

Not every rite is gentle. Some involve animal sacrifice, which is a normal part of a number of living religions and is performed under rules of its own. Exorcism rites have caused real harm when applied to people with mental illness or to children accused of witchcraft, with deaths reported from beatings, fasting and restraint. Illness needs real medical care. Others are simple and joyful, such as a blessing over bread or a thread on a wrist, and carry no danger at all, which is why most rites are never remarked upon.

Change and commerce

Rites move with people. Diaspora communities adapt them to apartments, city streets and other languages. Some are now sold as retreats or workshops, which can strip them from their community and context. Tourism has also turned ceremonies into shows, and communities increasingly set rules about who may watch, photograph or join. Government rules shape rites too: some countries license ritual slaughter, others require permits for processions, and a few have banned particular ceremonies outright, so a rite can become a legal question as well as a religious one.

Rite on EveryJaadu

The entries written up so far, best known first.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
StandingLivingRevivedFadingHistoricalLegendaryPerformed
OrderBest knownA to ZNewestLiving first
🇪🇬 EgyptCurse A spoken wish for misfortune to befall a person or placeBelief · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreYule log A large wooden log burned in the hearth during winter festivals across Europe and North America.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreLibation The ritual pouring of liquid as an offering to spirits or the deadRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreJoss paper金紙 Paper burned as money and goods for ancestors, gods and the deadCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 IndiaBhuta KolaBhūta Kōla A Tulu folk dance and ritual where spirits are channelled into human performersTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇯🇵 JapanSetsubun節分 A Japanese seasonal rite to drive away bad luck and welcome spring with roasted beansRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreKorean shamanismKorean shamanism (Korean: Korean shamanism) A traditional practice of ritual specialists who mediate between the human and spirit worlds.Tradition · Healing · Protection Living 🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبه‌سوری An Iranian fire festival marking the transition from winter to springTradition · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreZārزار A spirit possession tradition and healing ritual in the Horn of Africa and Middle EastTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAncestor worship Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇲🇬 MadagascarFamadihana A Malagasy ritual to rewrap ancestors and celebrate their return to the spirit worldRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Fading 🇸🇪 Sweden and 5 moreMidsummerJāņi; Joninės; Jaanipäev; Enyovden; Litha; Juhannus A summer solstice festival marked by bonfires, maypole dancing, and feasting across Europe.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreBonfire A large outdoor fire used in seasonal festivals and religious feasts across many culturesRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreMaypoleMaibaum A tall wooden pole raised for European spring festivals, accompanied by dance and celebration.Tradition · Luck and prosperity · Love and attraction Living 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreQingming Festival清明节 A spring day for sweeping graves, feeding the dead and honouring ancestorsTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living 🇬🇧 United KingdomMari LwydY Fari Lwyd A Welsh winter custom featuring a horse skull carried through villages for song and hospitality.Rite · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Revived 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSky lantern天燈 A paper hot air balloon lifted by flame to carry wishes and blessingsRite · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFortune-telling A practice of predicting future events or personal details through various methods and tools.Rite · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 morePitru Pakshaपितृ पक्ष A sixteen-day Hindu period for honoring ancestors through food offerings and death ritesTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreTrick-or-treating A Halloween custom where costumed visitors ask for treats from homesTradition · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Living 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play A folk drama featuring a fight and a resurrection, performed by amateur troupes in the British Isles.Rite · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKukeriкукери A costumed ritual in Bulgaria to chase away evil spirits and welcome springRite · Protection · Cursing and harm Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 moreWinter solstice The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked by rites of solar returnTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Living 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 2 moreMongolian shamanismBöö mörgöl The animistic and shamanic ethnic religion of the Mongol peoples, centered on sky worship and ancestral spirits.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living 🇰🇷 South KoreaJesa제사 A Korean ancestral memorial rite involving food offerings and ritual bowsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreBoriBòòríí A traditional Hausa spirit possession system and healing practice in West AfricaTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living 🇻🇺 Vanuatu and 5 moreKava culture A shared ritual across Oceania where a root brew marks ceremony, respect, and social gathering.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇸🇳 Senegal and 5 moreAncestor veneration Rituals of respect and offerings for the dead across many culturesTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 moreMay Day A European spring festival marking the start of summer with flowers, poles and fire.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreDay of the DeadDía de los Muertos A Mexican holiday honoring the dead with altars, food, and humor during Allhallowtide.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRainmaking rites Ceremonies performed to call rain through prayer, dance, or symbolic actsRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇰🇷 South KoreaGut굿 Rites performed by Korean shamans to commune with spirits and ensure community welfare.Rite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreKitchen God灶君 The Chinese hearth deity who reports domestic conduct to the Jade EmperorBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 7 moreSaint Andrew's Day A Christian feast day marked by national holidays in Scotland and Romania, and folk divination across Europe.Rite · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.