Home›Devotional Practices›Solitary or Communal›Performed by a gathered groupBrowse ByPerformed by a gathered groupThis page groups practices by whether they are carried out alone or with others. Wikipedia distinguishes "communal rites, whether of worship, where a community comes together to worship" from "rites of personal devotion, where an individual worships, including prayer and pilgrimages." Browsing this way lets a visitor separate a group ceremony from a practice one person performs alone.FactsLearn MorePerformed by a gathered groupSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe sustained acts by which adherents attend to a deity, ancestor or holy figure - prayer at fixed hours, recitation and chant, offerings at a shrine or home altar, veneration of saints and images, pilgrimage. It is the widest and loosest of these groupings and holds acts that are obligatory in one tradition and freely optional in another. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedPractices 1ComparisonPrimary Academic DisciplineWell-attestedComparative Religion 3Learn MoreThe Devotional Practices This group gathers devotional practices, the acts by which the faithful express love, reverence and dependence toward the divine: prayer, worship, praise, offering, the reciting of names and the observance of daily and seasonal devotion. It is the largest practice grouping in the atlas, reflecting how central devotion is to religious life. The browser will find devotional practices from across the world's traditions. The entries describe each practice's form, purpose and setting, noting the tradition to which it belongs and how it is performed.Performed by a gathered groupFilter Results42 entriesOrigin Period Start YearAll-200 (1)30 (2)500 (2)610 (1)634 (1)680 (1)700 (1)850 (1)1000 (1)1100 (2)1150 (1)1200 (1)1499 (1)1500 (1)1549 (1)1550 (1)1604 (1)1652 (1)1700 (1)1800 (1)1840 (1)1870 (1)1901 (1)1920 (1)1946 (1)1970 (1)1971 (1)Unesco StatusAllInscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (1)TraditionAllAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church (1)African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1)Alevism (2)Alexandrian Wicca (2)Amish (1)Anabaptism (1)Anglican Communion (3)Anglicanism (3)Armenian Apostolic Church (3)Baptist (1)Breslov Hasidism (5)Calvinism (Reformed) (1)Chabad-Lubavitch (5)Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1)Church of Cyprus (4)Church of England (3)Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) (1)Church of Greece (4)Church of Ireland (3)Church of Scotland (1)Church of Sweden (1)Church of the Nazarene (1)Conservative Judaism (1)Coptic Orthodoxy (3)Dianic Wicca (2)Dutch Reformed Church (1)Eastern Orthodoxy (4)Eclectic Solitary Wicca (1)Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (4)Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (3)Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (3)Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1)Evangelicalism (1)Feri Tradition (1)Free Methodist Church (1)Gardnerian Wicca (2)Georgian Orthodox Church (4)Global Methodist Church (1)Greek Orthodox Church (4)Haredi Judaism (5)Hasidic Judaism (5)Jehovah's Witnesses (1)Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) (2)Lutheranism (1)Maronite Church (1)Mennonites (1)Methodism (1)Modern Orthodox Judaism (5)National Baptist Convention of America (1)Oriental Orthodoxy (3)Orthodox Judaism (5)Pentecostalism (1)Presbyterianism (1)Progressive National Baptist Convention (1)Quakerism (Religious Society of Friends) (1)Quanzhen (Complete Reality) (1)Reclaiming (1)Reconstructionist Judaism (1)Reform Judaism (1)Roman Catholicism (4)Romanian Orthodox Church (4)Russian Orthodox Church (4)Saint Thomas Christians (1)Seax-Wica (1)Sect Shinto (1)Serbian Orthodox Church (4)Seventh-day Adventism (1)Shangqing (Highest Clarity) (1)Shia (Twelver) (2)Shrine Shinto (1)Sufism (2)Sunni (1)The Episcopal Church (3)The United Methodist Church (1)Tibetan Buddhism (1)Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (1)Ukrainian Orthodox Church (4)Wesleyan Church (1)Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) (1)Zion Christian Church (1)Category of PracticeAllDevotional (7)Who Performs ItAllAll adherents of the tradition (24)Householders, those living in the world (3)Initiates only (2)Lay people (3)Monastics: monks and nuns (1)Trained or authorised specialists (6)Women only (2)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (36)Revived or reconstructed in the modern era (1)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (41)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputed (1)CadenceAllAnnual (7)As the occasion requires (11)Continuous: a standing discipline, not an event (1)Daily (4)Monthly (3)Once, or at a turning point in a life (3)Seasonal, at set points in the year (1)Weekly (7)ObligationAllObligatory (4)Obligatory on those who meet its conditions (2)Optional and voluntary (2)Recommended and meritorious, not required (4)Undertaken only with authorisation or transmission (3)Offered ToAllExu (1)Pomba Gira (1)In GroupAllBuddhist Devotional Practices (1)Christian Devotional Practices (11)East Asian Devotional Practices (2)Hindu Devotional Practices (3)Islamic Devotional Practices (10)Jewish Devotional Practices (4)New Religious Movement Practices (3)Sikh Devotional Practices (3)Traditional African and Diaspora Practices (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 42Akhand PathPerformed by a gathered groupAltar callPerformed by a gathered groupAncestor tablet venerationPerformed by a gathered groupAncestor venerationPerformed by a gathered groupBaptism for the deadPerformed by a gathered groupBaptismal lifePerformed by a gathered groupBhajanPerformed by a gathered groupBharatanatyamPerformed by a gathered groupChristian MissionPerformed by a gathered groupCoven-based initiatory worshipPerformed by a gathered groupDoor-to-door evangelismPerformed by a gathered groupFoot washingPerformed by a gathered groupFriday prayerPerformed by a gathered groupFull-Time Missionary ServicePerformed by a gathered groupHakafotPerformed by a gathered groupHatsumodePerformed by a gathered groupHellenic Household WorshipPerformed by a gathered groupHoshanotPerformed by a gathered groupHukamnamaPerformed by a gathered groupIstisqaPerformed by a gathered groupKabbalat ShabbatPerformed by a gathered groupKirtanPerformed by a gathered groupMehndiPerformed by a gathered groupMourning of AshuraPerformed by a gathered groupNew Moon observancePerformed by a gathered groupPilgrimagePerformed by a gathered groupQuimbanda Offerings at the CrossroadsPerformed by a gathered groupSai between Safa and MarwaPerformed by a gathered groupSama (spiritual music and whirling)Performed by a gathered groupSand MandalaPerformed by a gathered groupSelichotPerformed by a gathered groupSeven SacramentsPerformed by a gathered groupSpeaking in tongues (glossolalia)Performed by a gathered groupTarawihPerformed by a gathered groupTawafPerformed by a gathered groupTemple ElephantsPerformed by a gathered groupThe Cem ceremonyPerformed by a gathered groupUnprogrammed silent worshipPerformed by a gathered groupUse of the Book of Common PrayerPerformed by a gathered groupVeneration of saints and their shrinesPerformed by a gathered groupWomen-only covensPerformed by a gathered groupWomen's Mosque MovementPerformed by a gathered groupSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Worship and Devotional LifeView the Source3. Wikipedia: Comparative religiontier 2WikipediaComparative religion, opening definitionQuote, Comparative religion, opening definitionComparative religion is the branch of religious studies that systematically compares the doctrines, practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the worlds religions.View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.