Home›Initiatory Rituals›Origin Period Start Year›4th century BCEBrowse By4th century BCEThis page groups rituals by the year their recorded history begins. Wikipedia notes that "the word 'ritual' is first recorded in English in 1570, and came into use in the 1600s to mean 'the prescribed order of performing religious services'." Browsing by start year lets a visitor see how far back a given ritual's documented history actually reaches.FactsLearn More4th century BCESourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOriginsWhose Classification This IsWell-attestedInitiation is treated as a species of rite of passage on van Gennep's 1909 three-stage scheme - separation, liminality, incorporation - as elaborated by Victor Turner in 1969. The scheme is a comparative frame devised by its authors, not an account any tradition gives of its own rite. 2OverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRites that admit a person to a status, community or degree of knowledge not previously held. The atlas records that such rites exist, who confers them and what they are held to accomplish. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRituals 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2Learn MoreThe Initiatory Rituals This group holds initiatory rituals, the ceremonies by which a person is admitted into a religion, order or degree, or consecrated to a sacred role. Initiation typically enacts a symbolic death and rebirth, marking the passage into a new spiritual state. The browser will find initiatory rituals from various traditions. The entries describe each rite's form and meaning, noting the tradition and the admission or elevation it enacts.4th century BCEFilter Results1 entryFrequencyAllOnce, or at a turning point in a life (1)Life Stage MarkedAllOrdination, profession or vows (1)ObligationAllOptional and voluntary (1)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (1)Social FormAllPerformed by a gathered group (1)PractitionerAllMonastics: monks and nuns (1)Native To RegionAllIndia (1)Originated InAllIndia (1)Originates In LanguageAllPali (1)Kind of ritualAllIndic, Buddhist and Zoroastrian Initiation and Ordination Rites (1)Show ResultsUpasampada (higher ordination)4th century BCESources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensionstier 1Catherine Bell, Oxford University Press, 1997Basic Genres of Ritual ActionView 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.