A ritual can be defined as a sequence of activities involving gestures, objects, and words performed in a sequestered place and based on a specific sequence. The rituals can be prescribed based on the community’s ethnicity and whose characteristics are formalized, invariance, traditionalism, performance, and sacral symbolism. Examples of the rituals include the firecrackers and the fireworks that are performed in China. It’s done at every New Year where traditionally the loud noise sound of the firecracker served as a means of scaring away the evil spirits (Sally).
The second is arranged marriage done in India where parents, relatives, friends, and friends of relatives are involved in the choice of the partner rather than selecting on your own (Yoririn). The third one is the celebration of “OBI” in Japan. It entails tying a cotton belt to a woman’s abdomen to protect the baby.
In this paper, I intend to use three different methodological approaches. The first one is reductionism, which involves several interrelated philosophical ideas concerning the association of the phenomena that can describe the terms of the other in simpler terms (Fogelin). Therefore this methodology will be applicable in China where I will study the ritual of the fireworks and the firecrackers. The second methodology is religionism, which is the study of religion. This approach mainly studies religious behaviors, beliefs, institutions, etc. It interprets, compares, describes, and also explains the religion basing its emphasis on the cross-cultural and historical perspectives. The approach will be essential in analyzing the celebration of OBI in Japan. The last one is an anthropological approach which constitutes the study of the development of religion and the phenomena of different cultures. The method will be essential in researching arranged marriages in India.
Works Cited
Fogelin, Lars. “Methodologies for the Archaeological Investigation of Religion and Ritual.” (2016): 1-6.
Sally, Gao. “Rituals and Customer to celebrate the chinese new year.” Chinese Traditions (2017).
Yoririn, K. “Japanese traditional rituals to give every child a happy life.” (2012): 39-86.
