This thesis is aimed at getting a better understanding of drinking games as a social phenomenon. Data has been collected in form of individual interviews with five students that has been taken part of drinking games. The focus of this study is to understand what function the games and the drinking they involve have for the students. Randal Collins theory of interactional rituals combined with Robert Mertons concept of sociological ambivalence is applied to analyze how the students construct meaning relating to the phenomenon drinking games. The results indicate that the games serve as a gathering point at a social event, and provides a way for participants to interact and socialize that eases the otherwise uncomfortable feeling that can be experienced when meeting new people. The alcohol seems to have a central role in the games as an investment for the players, at the same time as it helps them to get  intoxicated. The games thereby become a convenient solution for the partying students that wants to get drunk and socialize together. But the ritualistic perspective also helps to uncover two secret rules that must be followed to take part of the ritual in the “right” way.

Organisation religieuse et profane du temple khmer du VII e au XIII e siècle Depuis le XIXe siècle, les temples khmers ont suscité nombre de questions qui demeurent d’actualité, et celle de leur fonctionnement n’est pas la moins fascinante. En effet, le caractère monumental de ces fondations suggère qu’il y régnait une activité incessante et diversifiée, à l’image de celle de leurs équivalents indiens encore en culte aujourd’hui. C’est à cette réalité de la vie des sanctuaires préangkoriens et angkoriens que cette étude est consacrée. Cette thèse est fondée sur une approche archéologique visant à identifier les activités équipées de ces temples. Cependant, le caractère précieux, recyclable ou périssable des biens des dieux rend leur découverte assez rare. Cette étude a donc principalement recours aux sources épigraphiques en khmer, qui livrent de longues énumérations d’objets. Ces listes sont appréhendées sous deux angles complémentaires. En premier lieu, elles livrent les inventaires d’un patrimoine qui était soigneusement décrit afin de faciliter sa gestion et sa protection. Numération, matériaux, décors, provenances et poids sont donc présentés comme autant de moyens permettant d’estimer la valeur de ces biens et de faciliter leur identification. D’autre part, les ustensiles de culte qui sont mentionnés témoignent des rites célébrés dans les temples. Cette étude les rassemble et les ordonne à la lumière des traités de rituel indiens, dont l’influence sur le culte khmer est bien établie. Enfin, cette recherche a impliqué l’étude d’inscriptions khmères inédites qui ne se limitent pas à l’énumération de biens manufacturés. Elles sont l’occasion de donner un aperçu de l’ensemble des biens des dieux et d’aborder d’autres aspects du fonctionnement des sanctuaires. / As from the 19th century, Khmer temples have raised a number of questions that are still of interest today, and how they functioned is not the least fascinating of them all. The monumental features and sizes of these foundations suggest that they housed continuous and diverse activities, similar to those of their Indian equivalents that are still active today. This study is especially concerned with the daily activities that went on from preangkorian to angkorian times. This thesis is based on an archaeological approach that aims at identifying the activities and celebrations conducted in these temples from the implements that they required. Nevertheless, the precious, recyclable or perishable nature of what belonged to the gods makes their discovery extremely rare. As a consequence, the sources of this study are essentially epigraphic Khmer documents that list long records of items. These lists are considered from two complementary angles. They first consist in a heritage that was carefully described not only to make it easier to use but also to protect it. How they are numbered, what they are composed of and how much they weigh are therefore a number of means to estimate how much they are worth and how to identify them. Furthermore, the objects used during the celebrations give an insight into the rites that were conducted in these temples. This study aims at putting them together as well as organizing them in the light of Indian ritual directions since their influence on Khmer religious celebrations are well-known. Finally, this research has lead to studying yet unpublished inscriptions which are not limited to listing manufactured goods. They give an insight into all that belonged to the gods and to tackle different ways in which these sanctuaries functioned.

The aim of this paper is to provide a brief exploration of the Korean ritual system within the framework of relevant religio-philosophical systems, analysis of representative rituals, description of their structure and the use of ritual props and foods. Examined are the cooking and serving requirements of the meals and the function they have within the rituals. Special attention is paid to ritual meals of Buddhist monks, which are examined in comparison with ritual offerings as made to ancestors, the tradition which is widespread and vividly evident, even within today's Confucian culture. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

This diploma thesis brings suggestions into the field of couple and family psychology. The main topic of this thesis is wedding rings regarded from the perspective of psychology. The theoretical part develops topics such as the history and the symbolism of rings in general to subsequently focus particularly on wedding rings. Significant attention is also paid to the marriage and couple problematics, the wedding - thanks to which we have the ring - and also to narrower psychological issues such as the wedding ring effect, the attractiveness of the wedding ring itself or the issue of wearing the ring. The final part is dedicated to the variations of treating the wedding ring. In the empirical part, a data collection in the form of semi-structured interviews with subsequent qualitative analysis, was conducted. The total number of participants is thirteen. Participation of respondents in a variable life situation: newly-wed people, people in a long- term marriage, divorced and widowed people. The objective of the thesis was to capture the depth probe into the perception of the meaning and the value of the wedding ring by the wearers themselves and to find most important questions that can be associated with this symbolic phenomenon. The thesis covers issues such as the attractiveness of the wedding...

Grief and ritual : a pastoralperspective This study was undertaken with the aim to investigate the value of ritual for pastoral care, with a specific focus on loss – mainly the loss of a loved one because of death. Ritual is approached from a variety of perspectives in order to build a foundation for an understanding of the origins, functions and purposes of ritual. From this understanding of ritual, the effectiveness of ritual in the practice of pastoral care with the grieving is explored. Not only knowledge of ritual, but also the effect of death on those who are left behind and the process of grieving should be understood before the role of ritual in grief care can be investigated. The pastoral caregiver plays a guiding role in the practice of rituals in grief care. The bereaved should always be the main actor and the ritual should be planned in consultation with the person for whose benefit it is applied and performed. A lack of knowledge concerning the effect of death on people and systems as well as the process of grieving, can lead to people – pastoral caregivers and family, friends and colleagues who form the support system of those in the grief process – doing more harm than good, even though they meant well. Knowledge and an understanding of the process of grieving can enhance the support offered both by pastoral caregivers and by support systems. Since grief work cannot be done in isolation, this study emphasizes the involvement of the supporting group or community of the bereaved. Pastors and the faith community supporting the grieving persons should also beware of and actively oppose damaging theologies with regard to death. This study prefers ‘grief tasks’ that are to be completed, to ‘phases of grief’ through which the person goes, since the latter implies passivity on the side of the bereaved – something that ‘happens to’ them. ‘Grief tasks’, on the other hand, implies an active involvement in working through grief towards a desired outcome and a new future that does not exclude the deceased from the narrative of the lives of the living, but includes it in a way that accepts the death and supplements the new life narrative with memories of the deceased. Rituals of remembrance are pivotal since remembering in a healthy way has healing power for those who grieve. Ritual is found to be a very useful resource in pastoral care with the grieving and bereaved. A cognitive approach to healing is not sufficient. A cognitive-emotive approach is more appropriate, since it involves both mind and emotions. Ritual contributes a further aspect and speaks to a person’s whole being. Ritual can reach beyond words because it is symbolically laden and requires the active participation and performance of the bereaved. When grieving persons make the decision to deal with their loss actively, they will likely reach the desired outcome sooner and more effectively than would otherwise have been the case. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

We focus on hair as a symbol of personality, cultural and social influence and the object of ritual ceremonies.1 Hair is not only a vitally important part of human body but it is an important cultural phenomenon and serves as important cultural artifact, because it is simultaneously public (visible to everyone), personal (biologically linked to the body), and highly malleable to suit cultural and personal preferences. Hair - whether present or absent, restored or removed, abundant or scarce, long or short, bound or unbound, dyed or natural - marks a person as clearly as a speech, clothing, and smell. Hair tells a lot about every man, about his age, social and family status, his sexual availability and desirability, about his interests, his character, his political stance and religious preferences, his roots, background, his membership in some subculture and about the fashion and the norms of the period (and his conformability or inadaptability). It is a perfect culture- anthropological topic becauce every culture has particular rules and norms how to dispose of hair. Social and cultural influence on hairstyling could be asserted by means of fashion (mild form) or more serious forms of restrict orders (even written as the laws and directions) or just by cultural norms which set the looks of "normal,...

The purpose of this study is to examine the way in which the earliest followers of Jesus experienced the rites of baptism and the Eucharist, which in turn could aid us to comprehend what kind of value baptism and the Eucharist might add to our lives today. My point of entry reflects that of current research which indicates that baptism and the Eucharist can be perceived as symbolic rites. Rites consist of rituals and ceremonies, and in this case baptism can be described as an initiation and status transformation ritual, while the Eucharist can be seen as a ceremony of integration and participation. As with other symbols, the earliest baptism and Eucharist carried meaning because they were performed for a reason and they added value to people’s lives. Extensive research has already been carried out on the origins of baptism and the Eucharist. However, it has not been investigated whether this ritual of initiation and ceremony of participation could be understood anew if one takes the contemporary knowledge of alternate states of consciousness into consideration. As a result of cross-cultural anthropological investigations we know that only ten percent of people all over the world today do not experience common alternate states of consciousness, while the rest of humanity do. The premodern mythical world of the biblical period displays continuity with this finding – people who lived in the first-century Mediterranean world experienced alternate states of consciousness as an ordinary part of life. Only in the Eurocentric world have we – the ten percent exception to the rule – attempted to interpret baptism and the Eucharist as cognitive dogmatic constructs. The hypothesis of this study aims to demonstrate that the initiation and participation ritually expressed by the two “sacraments” can be “better” explained against the background of alternate states of consciousness. However, a model is necessary to verify or falsify the legitimacy of this hypothesis. Research into alternate states of consciousness creates a theoretical problem because, even though these states can be experienced simultaneously by more than one person in a group, experiences of alternate states of consciousness represent individual mental and psychological states. Each experience is unique and in the first instance a personal experience. In other words, without empirical evidence of what an individual has really experienced during an alternate state of consciousness, some research findings may be jeopardized, because of the impossibility of ascertaining the religious meaning and value attributed to a specific alternate state of consciousness experience. Yet, we do have access to texts as well as archeological and paleontological findings which show that there is a correlation between alternate states of consciousness and certain rites. The study illustrates that these alternate states of consciousness were verbalized in “anti-language”, which is the model I employ. “Anti-language” constitutes the language that is used by an anti-society, which in turn can be described as a conscious alternative to another society. The earliest Jesus-followers formed such an anti-society, into which they were initiated by means of baptism and in which they participated by means of the Eucharist. Consequently, the purpose of the study is to indicate that the ritual initiation and ceremonial participation of the earliest Jesus-followers were the result of alternate states of consciousness as expressed in anti-language. The study aims at redirecting extant research concerning the origins of the “Christian” baptism and the Eucharist by means of a multidisciplinary methodological approach. One of the import and relevant issues addressed in this study can be found in the enhancement of social inclusivity as an ideal in the present day. / Thesis (DD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

The purpose of this study is to investigate ritual in order to establish an intimacy between architecture and its users. The lithurgy of the Roman Catholic Church is used as a point of departure, but the study is especially concerned with personal secular ritual. The intervention will function as an urban retreat. It consists of a series of contemplative spaces that facilitate a spiritual journey. The Retreat is based on ideas surrounding the traditional Roman Catholic Convent, which informed the accommodation schedule to a great extend. The study recognizes the new approach of the Roman Catholic Religion, which entails a holistic ministry that plays an increasingly critical and social role. The Retreat will therefore function as a base for religious and social organizations to work from in the inner-city of Pretoria. The retreat will also offer limited social facilities such as counselling and seminar rooms. The site is situated in the inner-city of Pretoria, in the block directly north-east of Church Square. The site consists of two properties: the northern consists of the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), with the southern being a pan-handle erf that functions as a service courtyard for commercial ventures on Church Street. The Noordvaal thoroughfare runs parallel to the site on its western edge, linking Church and Vermeulen Streets. The site exists unnoticed by pedestrians using the arcade, because of a boundary wall. Of further importance is the 2,8 m slope of the site from south to north over a distance of 140 m. The project directly addresses urban issues as well as spatial and emotional ones. The intervention is seen as part of a process of architectural proliferation. It takes the existing fabric and current conditions and rather than replacing them, creates a synthesis of elements so as to evolve a new urban condition; i.e. how to grow a piece of city rather than how you build it. Design decisions were influenced by Pallasmaa's ideas on fragile architecture: it is concerned with real sensory interaction instead of conceptual manifestations. Problems and opportunities are identified on a small scale and the response is focussed on these: it is an architecture that grows and opens up. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Architecture / unrestricted

This dissertation investigates the manifestation of a public bathhouse within a South African urban context. The proposal provides ablution and infrastructure to a public transport interchange precinct within Tshwane, Marabastad. The architectural exploration aims to enrich the ritual of cleansing by introducing the act of bathing to the public urban environment. Challenges associated with the typology is addressed through integration with surroundings, ensuring the potential of social life centred around a fundamental human act. The goal therefore lies in a celebration of ritual as derived from context, not the imposition of an ancient typology, or an irrelevant programme. The relevance to South African architecture is found in the investigation as a template for similar projects attempted in areas of similar context. A bathhouse is defined as an asset infiltrating, and proving for, its existing context. Copyright / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Architecture / unrestricted

Buddhist tantric practitioners embrace the liminal status of the human body to manifest divine identity. In piercing to the pith of human embodiment, the tantric practitioner reconfigures the shape and contours of his/her reality. This article investigates the evolution of one particular technique for piercing to the pith of the body on Tibetan soil, a ritual practice known as body mandala [lus dkyil Skt. deha-man. d. ala]. In particular, it uncovers a significant shift of emphasis in the application of the Guhyasamaja body mandala practice initiated by champions of the emerging Gandenpa [Dga' ldan pa] or Gelukpa [Dge lugs pa] tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) and Mkhas grub rje (1385-1438). This article reveals some of the radical implications of ritual exegesis, ranging from the socioreligious aspects of securing prestige for a tradition to the ultimate soteriological goals of modifying the boundaries between life and death and ordinary and enlightened embodiment.