A ceremony is an activity, infused with ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. Ceremony - Celebration of life. Traditionally, a ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a personal human career, marking the significance of (for example): birth initiation puberty social adulthood graduation marriage death burial In certain circumstrances a ceremony may only be performed by a person with certain authorities. ...

Including:

• Ceremony - Celebration of life
• Ceremony - Celebration of events
• Ceremony - Process

Read more here: » Ceremony: Encyclopedia - Ceremony

See also:

Ceremony, Ceremony - Celebration of life, Ceremony - Celebration of events, Ceremony - Process

Read more here: » Ceremony: Encyclopedia II - Ceremony - Celebration of life

Other, society-wide ceremonies may mark annual or seasonal or recurrent events like: vernal equinox winter solstice weekly Sabbath day inauguration of an elected office-holder occasions in a liturgical year or "feasts" in a calendar of saints Yet other ceremonies underscore the importance of irregular special occasions, such as: coronation of a monarch victory in battle In Asian cultures, ceremonies also play an important role. In particular, the tea ceremony ...

See also:

Ceremony, Ceremony - Celebration of life, Ceremony - Celebration of events, Ceremony - Process

Read more here: » Ceremony: Encyclopedia II - Ceremony - Celebration of events

The Eleusinian Mysteries were annual initiation ceremonies for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times these were held to be the ones of greatest importance. These myths and mysteries later spread to Rome. The rites and cultic worships and beliefs were kept secret, and initiation rites united the worshipper with god including promises of divine power and rewards in life after death. Eleusinian Mysteries - The Mysteries. Eleusis ...

Including:

• Eleusinian Mysteries - The Mysteries
• Eleusinian Mysteries - End of the Eleusinian Mysteries
• Eleusinian Mysteries - Entheogenic theories

Read more here: » Eleusinian Mysteries: Encyclopedia - Eleusinian Mysteries

Buddhism - Buddhist Festivals: Wesak

Wesak is the most important of the Buddhist festivals and is celebrated on the full moon in May. It celebrates the Buddha's birthday, and, for some Buddhists, also marks his birth and death.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhist Festivals - Wesak

Buddhism Holydays: Holy days and Festivals in Buddhism

Festivals play a big part in the lives of many Buddhists. Most Buddhists, with the exception of the Japanese, use the Lunar calendar. The dates of Buddhist festivals and the way they are celebrated vary from country to country, and between Buddhist traditions. The most important holy days are: Wesak, Dharma Day, Sangha Day, Parinirvana Day and Losar

Read more here: » Buddhism Holydays: Holy days and Festivals in Buddhism

Buddhist Worship: Worship in Buddhism

Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered essential to go to a temple to worship with others.

Read more here: » Buddhist Worship: Worship in Buddhism

Nearly 80 per cent of the people of Assam are dependent on agriculture and spontaneous celebration of festivities is associated with the beginning and end of the harvest season. Bihu from the Sanskrit Vishu, is the harvest festival of Assam and is celebrated thrice in a year. The festival at the beginning of the spring season is Bohag Bihu, associated with the Vernal equinox in Chaitra Sankranti. The Kati Bihu is associated with the Autumnal equinox in Ashwina Sankranti.

People often call the Kati Bihu as Kangali Bihu as there is nothing much to eat during that period. People welcome budding paddy crops. The Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu associated with the winter solstice is celebrated with food and drinks after harvest, in Pausa Sankranti.

(See also: Bihu, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Epiphany celebrates the intervention of God in the life of a people, relating effectively, the Christmas message which emerged from Christ's birth place at Bethlehem. Hence it is also called the Feast of Lights or the Candlemas Feast.

In the past it was also known as the Twelfth Day as it falls on the twelfth day after Christmas and winds up formally the Christmas season of rejoicing.

(See also: Epiphany, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The traditional festivals of the Indian diaspora all reflect the ancient concept of the Utsav Mela, which encouraged everyone to congregate, meet and mix amid festivity and pageantry. In fact, the word mela (fair) is derived from the word mil , meaning 'to meet'.

Baisakhi epitomises the mela notion of convergence for it brings together people of all castes and communities on the first day of Vaisakha, the beginning of the traditional Indian New Year. Basically a harvest festival, Baisakhi marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest, especially in the Punjab. It is called the Naba Barsha celebrations in Bengal, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram (Vishu) in Kerala.

(See also: Baisakhi, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach, a combination of peh and sach . The two words mean, 'the mouth speaks'. Passover is all about communication.

It all started with that communication from God to Moses or Moshe about the redemption of the Hebrews from their slavery under the Pharoah. This Holy communication guided the oppressed to freedom. For this act of redemption the Jews are so reverential to Him that they never write the word 'God' in full. Instead, they write G-d, afraid that the paper on which it is written may get trampled upon, however inadvertently. For God's name, YaHWeH, or JeHoVaH they use the tetragrammaton, YHWH, or JHVH. With the vowels absent, they cannot and do not pronounce His name.

(See also: Passover, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Vesak (from the name of the second month in the Hindu calendar) is the most holy time in the Buddhist calendar. The word Vesak itself is the Sinhalese language word for the Pali word "Visakha". Vesak is also known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in India, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia and Vesak (Wesak) in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The equivalent festival in Laos is called Vixakha Bouxa.Vesak is a public holiday in many Asian countries like S ...

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In literature, art and cinema, death has been almost always depicted as a terrible thing, the final end, although in reality it is merely a release from the burden of the physical body.

Every religious tradition recognises that to reach the final truth, one must pass through death. This is the meaning behind Aanea's descent to the underworld in Virgil, of Dante's descent into hell in the Divine Comedy and the Christian baptism: “You were baptised into the death of Christ”.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

In time of spiritual need and strength I silently utter prayers that come to my mind, often from various faiths. I repeat them to still a restless, turbulent mind. Sincerity of action is important. It is alarming, disturbing, terrifying and heartbreaking to witness religious strife and the atrocities that are taking place in the name of religion.

We don't have to comprehend each and every ritual. It is more important to be a good human being - this is what God expects of each one of us irrespective of our religion.

(See also: Power of prayer, , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

At the Baba Budan Hills in Karnataka, Muslims revere the shrine as their saint's, while Hindus revere him as Lord Dattatreya. The shrine's manager is Muslim. The Haji Malang shrine near Mumbai is managed by Hindus.

Asia is the fusion of many cultures. Great periods of human history are marked by widespread access of spiritual vitality derived from the fusion of national cultures with foreign influences. So intertwined are our faiths that it is a terrible travesty when violence is carried out in the name of any one faith.

(See also: Oneness, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Zeved habat (Sephardic) or Simchat bat (Ashkenazi) are terms for the ritual for naming infant Jewish girls. These rituals are parallel to the berit milah ceremony for Jewish boys, albeit without the circumcision. Zeved habat (also written Zebed habat) (Hebrew זֶבֶד הַבָּת) is the name of the traditional Sephardic Jewish naming ceremony. In Ashkenazi Judaism there have been a variety of simple namegiving ceremonies for girls, many of which were a simple announcement by th ...

Including:

• Zeved habat - History of baby naming for girls
• Zeved habat - Sephardic ceremony: Zeved habat
• Zeved habat - Text of Mi shebberach for naming of daughter
• Zeved habat - Iraqi Jewish ceremonies
• Zeved habat - Ashkenazi ceremonies
• Zeved habat - Recent innovations
• Zeved habat - Conservative Judaism
• Zeved habat - Reading list
• Zeved habat - Zeved habat
• Zeved habat - Ashkenazi customs

Read more here: » Zeved habat: Encyclopedia - Zeved habat

Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. This article is in need of attention. You can help Wikipedia by editing it into a better article. Please also consider changing this notice to be more specific. Coming of age is a young person's formal transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes places varies in society, as does the n ...

Including:

• Coming of age - Religious coming of age
• Coming of age - Buddhism
• Coming of age - Christianity
• Coming of age - Greek polytheism
• Coming of age - Hinduism
• Coming of age - Judaism
• Coming of age - Islam
• Coming of age - Cultural rituals exclusive to Nations
• Coming of age - Australia NZ etc.
• Coming of age - Hispanic
• Coming of age - Japan
• Coming of age - Papua New Guinea
• Coming of age - Samoa
• Coming of age - United Kingdom
• Coming of age - Pygmies
• Coming of age - Professional initiatory rituals
• Coming of age - Academic Initiations
• Coming of age - Printing industry
• Coming of age - Films
• Coming of age - Webcomics

Read more here: » Coming of age: Encyclopedia - Coming of age

When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 or 13 years for girls, 13 years for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law. At this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצוה, "son of the commandment"); a girl is said to become Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "daughter of the commandment"). In Biblical Hebrew, the word "ben" or "bat" could also mean "subject to," e.g., a particular tax, penalty, or obligation; therefore a more accurate translation of the term may actually be "subject ...

Including:

• B'nai Mitzvah - Jewish boys
• B'nai Mitzvah - Jewish girls
• B'nai Mitzvah - Jewish adult responsibilities
• B'nai Mitzvah - Humanist Judaism's procedures
• B'nai Mitzvah - B'nai Mitzvah gifts

Read more here: » B'nai Mitzvah: Encyclopedia - B'nai Mitzvah

Vassa (Thai พรรษา, pansa or phansaa), also called Rains Retreat, is the traditional retreat during the rainy season lasting for three lunar months from July to October. During this time Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the vassa to intensive meditation practice. It is followed by two of the major festivals of the year among Theravada Buddhists, including Wan Awk Pansa. The retreat has ...

Read more here: » Vassa: Encyclopedia - Vassa

A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally a wake took place in the house of the deceased, with the body present. However, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. The tradition stems historically from an ancient tradition of watching over the deceased's body in the hope that life might return and the term in many places is now synonymous with viewing or funeral visitation. The purpose of the wake has evolved so that now it has become a time for friends and loved ones of the deceased to gather a ...

Including:

• Wake ceremony - Irish wakes

Read more here: » Wake ceremony: Encyclopedia - Wake ceremony