The Power of Rituals

Everyone knows them. Everyone has them. The small or large frequently celebrated actions. The first espresso behind the Brenner that marks the start of the vacation in Italy. The bedtime story without which we didn't want to fall asleep as children. The same old Christmas menu. Rituals are something fundamentally human and have always played an important role in all cultures and societies.

Rituals are social bonding agents

They are something very personal and at the same time social bonding agents. Their familiarity gives us stability in life because rituals provide a guideline that one can follow. For children and adolescents, they are of particularly high value because they make things more predictable and also give young people an idea of what is expected of them.

Studies also show that children fall asleep faster and sleep through the night better with the help of rituals such as the bedtime story. It is also known that rituals promote social and emotional development. And at the end of life, when physical and mental strength wanes, they provide support, comfort, and security.

The recurring processes act as a memory aid. For those with dementia, they can be a valuable lifeline to guide them through daily life. But like many other cherished and proven things, rituals are increasingly threatened with extinction.

Are rituals disappearing?

The German-Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han addresses this very social phenomenon in his much-discussed essay The Disappearance of Rituals (Ullstein Verlag). He analyzes the threat of a society in which the community is lost due to the increasing individualization of individuals. The so-called digital campfire, around which we like to gather, provides an illusion of togetherness.

Who doesn’t know the fundamentally sad picture of families or friends seemingly sitting together at a restaurant table – and everyone is staring wordlessly at their smartphones, not really present, but somewhere on the digital globe.