Home›Lifecycle Rituals›TraditionBrowse ByTraditionThis page groups rituals by the religious tradition that prescribes them. Wikipedia notes that rituals "may be prescribed by tradition, including religious practices, and are often characterized by formalism, traditionalism, rule-governance, and performance." Browsing by tradition lets a visitor read every ritual belonging to one faith together, rather than finding them scattered by kind.FactsLearn MoreTraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOriginsWhose Classification This IsWell-attestedThe category is van Gennep's: Les rites de passage (1909) proposed that such rites everywhere follow a three-stage pattern of separation, liminality and incorporation, and Victor Turner's 1969 work on liminality made the middle stage the centre of the frame. It is a scholars' scheme, not a traditions' one. 2OverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRites marking a passage in an individual life - birth and naming, coming of age, marriage, ordination, death. Nearly every tradition marks some of these, but not the same set, and which passages are marked by religious rite rather than by civil custom differs by tradition and by period. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRituals 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2Learn MoreThe lifecycle rituals This group gathers lifecycle rituals, the rites that mark the great transitions of a human life: birth and naming, coming of age, marriage, and other passages by which a person moves from one status to the next. Such rites of passage are found in every religious tradition and are among the most universal features of religious life. The browser will find lifecycle rituals from across the world's traditions. The entries describe each rite's form, meaning and setting, noting the tradition to which it belongs and the transition it marks.TraditionFilter Results64 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll40,000 (1)225,776 (1)278,000 (1)380,000 (1)887,000 (1)1,000,000 (1)1,500,000 (3)2,130,000 (1)3,500,000 (2)17,887,212 (1)95,000,000 (1)100,000,000 (1)110,000,000 (1)260,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll40,000 (1)225,776 (1)278,000 (1)380,000 (1)887,000 (1)1,000,000 (1)1,200,000 (1)1,450,000 (1)1,500,000 (3)2,500,000 (1)3,500,000 (1)17,887,212 (1)53,871,526 (1)78,000,000 (1)80,000,000 (1)220,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Bankruptcy FilingsAll28 (1)Basis of the Education Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (2)Basis of the Health Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Humanitarian Aid FigureAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (31)Independent Survey (19)National Census (11)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (20)Basis of the Wealth FigureAllAudited Annual Report (5)Court-Documented Inventory (1)Journalistic or Scholarly Estimate (6)Regulator Filing (5)The Body's Own Published Statistics (3)Calendar SystemAllJulian (Old Calendar) (1)Church FamilyAllAnabaptist (1)Anglican (5)Baptist (3)Church of the East (1)Eastern Catholic (1)Eastern Orthodox (8)Evangelical (1)Latter Day Saint (1)Lutheran (3)Methodist (6)Moravian (1)Oriental Orthodox (5)Quaker (1)Reformed (4)Restorationist (1)Roman Catholic (1)Date of SeparationAll2022 (1)Date of Separation End YearAll451 (2)900 (1)1204 (2)1555 (1)1560 (1)1561 (1)1566 (1)1571 (1)1612 (1)1662 (1)1795 (1)1815 (1)1830 (1)1846 (1)1850 (1)1876 (1)1908 (1)1913 (1)1925 (1)1968 (1)Date of Separation Start YearAll451 (4)760 (1)1054 (3)1448 (1)1457 (1)1521 (1)1534 (2)1536 (2)1560 (1)1609 (1)1652 (1)1666 (1)1736 (1)1772 (1)1784 (1)1787 (1)1796 (1)1804 (1)1810 (2)1811 (1)1830 (1)1833 (1)1858 (1)1870 (1)1881 (1)1883 (1)1885 (1)1895 (1)1915 (1)1935 (1)1961 (1)1963 (1)1993 (1)Defining Doctrinal PositionAllAffirms the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (1)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (5)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (17)Ethics grounded in reason and human experience, without the supernatural (1)Halakha binding and not subject to historical revision (2)Halakha binding, but developing through scholarship (1)Halakha binding, with secular education, work and civic participation affirmed rather than merely tolerated (1)Halakha informative rather than binding on the individual (2)Judaism as an evolving religious civilisation, God reconceived naturalistically (2)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (2)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (3)Non-trinitarian: the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity is not held (1)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (1)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (8)Requires no subscription to a creed (1)Restorationist: holds the apostolic church to have been lost and restored (2)Strict dyophysite: two distinct natures held in two qnome (concrete hypostases), not Chalcedon's two natures in one hypostasis (1)The tzaddik or rebbe as spiritual intermediary and head of the community (2)The tzaddik or rebbe as spiritual intermediary and head of the community (2)The written Torah alone; the rabbinic Oral Torah not accepted (1)The written Torah alone; the rabbinic Oral Torah not accepted (1)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (20)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (11)Documented Accused CountAll1 (1)5 (1)6 (1)19 (1)21 (1)237 (1)390 (1)800 (1)1670 (1)1880 (1)2900 (1)4392 (1)Education Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)2026-03-29 (1)GovernanceAllA federation of autonomous member organisations (5)A single central governing body over the whole movement (2)Authority in trained scholars, with no central office (3)Autonomous local bodies under a national umbrella association (2)Business decided by the gathered meeting seeking unity, without clergy (1)Congregational: each congregation self-governing (5)Connexional: congregations bound in a conference with itinerant ministry (6)Delegated representation from congregations up to a general conference (4)Episcopal: governed by bishops (11)No central authority (8)Presbyterian: governed by elders in graded courts (4)Priestly office passing by descent (1)Self-governing churches under patriarchs, deciding in synod (14)Synodal: governed by synods of clergy and lay delegates (4)Universal primacy of a single bishop (1)Health Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (4)Codified Obligation, Ruled Unenforceable (1)Customary Norm (10)Obligation to Support, No Set Rate (6)Preached Expectation, Not Enforced (8)Humanitarian Aid Figure As OfAll2025-12-31 (1)Liturgical LanguageAllAramaic (3)Church Slavonic (3)Classical Arabic (1)Classical Armenian (Grabar) (2)Classical Syriac (3)Coptic (2)Geez (4)Georgian (1)Greek (liturgical) (5)Hebrew (10)Latin (1)The vernacular (35)Membership Figure As OfAll1868-01-01 (1)1876-01-01 (1)1900-01-01 (1)1910-01-01 (1)1912-01-01 (2)1917-01-01 (1)1923-01-01 (1)1924-01-01 (1)1958-01-01 (1)1970-01-01 (2)1971-12-31 (1)1972-01-01 (1)1988-12-31 (1)1991-01-01 (1)1991-05-25 (1)1994-01-01 (1)1996-01-01 (1)2000-04-01 (1)2000-12-31 (1)2004-01-01 (1)2005-01-01 (1)2006-01-01 (3)2007-01-01 (4)2008-01-01 (1)2009-01-01 (2)2010-01-01 (6)2011-01-01 (5)2013-01-01 (7)2013-10-01 (1)2014-01-01 (4)2015-01-01 (4)2016-01-01 (5)2016-12-31 (1)2017-01-01 (2)2017-10-30 (1)2017-11-08 (1)2018-01-01 (4)2019-01-01 (3)2020-01-01 (10)2021-01-01 (3)2021-03-21 (1)2021-05-11 (1)2021-05-12 (1)2021-12-31 (1)2022-01-01 (10)2022-05-03 (1)2022-12-31 (1)2023-01-01 (2)2023-04-29 (1)2023-07-01 (1)2023-08-08 (1)2023-12-31 (1)2024-01-01 (6)2024-03-01 (1)2024-12-31 (3)2025-01-01 (5)2026-02-01 (1)2026-08-14 (2)2026-08-16 (1)OrdinationAllAn unpaid lay ministry rather than a professional clergy (1)Celibacy required of the ordained (2)Married clergy permitted (17)No ordination; authority rests on learning or on the whole body (2)No successor by deliberate choice (1)Office passes by descent (2)Open to women and men (21)Ordination is into a monastic order, not to a congregation (1)Restricted to men (21)The full female ordination lineage is held lapsed; revival contested (1)Varies between provinces or member bodies (10)Origin Period End YearAll52 (1)301 (1)337 (1)340 (2)410 (1)431 (1)451 (2)900 (1)1100 (1)1204 (1)1448 (1)1467 (1)1527 (1)1530 (1)1559 (2)1560 (1)1561 (1)1571 (2)1592 (1)1600 (1)1612 (1)1652 (1)1667 (1)1772 (1)1784 (1)1789 (1)1797 (1)1810 (1)1816 (1)1821 (1)1830 (1)1832 (1)1846 (1)1850 (2)1860 (1)1867 (1)1870 (1)1881 (1)1908 (1)1913 (1)1915 (1)1961 (1)1963 (1)1968 (1)1988 (1)2022 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll30 (3)42 (1)49 (1)295 (1)320 (2)326 (1)390 (1)431 (1)760 (1)988 (1)1300 (1)1457 (1)1517 (1)1527 (1)1534 (3)1536 (2)1560 (2)1571 (1)1609 (1)1647 (1)1652 (1)1738 (1)1740 (1)1775 (1)1787 (1)1789 (1)1796 (1)1800 (2)1801 (1)1802 (1)1810 (1)1820 (1)1845 (1)1850 (1)1860 (1)1870 (1)1880 (1)1881 (1)1895 (1)1922 (1)1961 (1)1963 (1)1988 (1)2022 (1)Position on JustificationAllFaith Alone (3)No Communion Wide Standard (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage is held to be a lifelong, monogamous, indissoluble union; remarriage after divorce is not sanctioned while a spouse lives (1)Marriage is held to be monogamous, with remarriage after divorce sanctioned under specified conditions (7)No single uniform teaching on marriage's terms holds across the body (2)Position on PredestinationAllDouble Predestination (1)Election Affirmed Reprobation Unstated (1)Single Predestination (1)Unsettled (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex marriage is performed and LGBT clergy are ordained on equal terms with heterosexual clergy (8)Same-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (2)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (16)Same-sex unions may be blessed, but ordination is not extended to partnered LGBT clergy (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (9)Position on the EucharistAllNo Communion Wide Definition (1)Sacramental Union (1)Spiritual Reception by Faith (2)Position on UsuryAllInterest is permitted but bound by ethical constraints against exploiting the poor (1)Principle of WorshipAllNormative (3)Regulative (1)Relation to the StateAllDisestablished (5)Established (3)No Establishment (17)Privileged Never Established (11)Varies by Province (10)Rule Established or Last ChangedAll1838-07-08 (1)2000-01-01 (1)2007-11-28 (1)2019-01-01 (1)Sacraments RecognisedAllTwo (4)Settlement TotalAll500,000 (1)995,000 (1)137,300,000 (1)1,500,000,000 (1)5,590,000,000 (1)Standard Rate ExpectedAllFive percent. (1)Ten percent. (6)Standing as a Comparative CategoryAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (1)Standing of Holy OrdersAllHistoric Episcopate (1)Historic Episcopate Locally Adapted (1)Historic Episcopate Received Not Required (1)Ministry by Lawful Call (1)Status TodayAllDissolved; the community wound itself up (1)Living tradition, practised today (56)Wealth Figure As Of YearAll1997 (1)2007 (1)2008 (1)2009 (1)2014 (1)2016 (2)2018 (1)2019 (1)2023 (1)2024 (8)2025 (3)2026 (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchTradition2 entriesAfrican Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchTradition2 entriesAnglican CommunionTradition5 entriesAnglicanismTradition5 entriesArmenian Apostolic ChurchTradition5 entriesAssyrian Church of the EastTradition2 entriesBaptistTradition1 entryBeta IsraelTradition1 entryBreslov HasidismTradition12 entriesCalvinism (Reformed)Tradition2 entriesChabad-LubavitchTradition12 entriesChristian Methodist Episcopal ChurchTradition2 entriesChurch of CyprusTradition6 entriesChurch of EnglandTradition5 entriesChurch of God (Anderson, Indiana)Tradition1 entryChurch of GreeceTradition6 entriesChurch of IrelandTradition5 entriesChurch of ScotlandTradition2 entriesChurch of SwedenTradition3 entriesChurch of the NazareneTradition2 entriesConservative JudaismTradition3 entriesCoptic OrthodoxyTradition5 entriesDisciples of ChristTradition1 entryDutch Reformed ChurchTradition2 entriesEastern OrthodoxyTradition6 entriesEcumenical Patriarchate of ConstantinopleTradition6 entriesThe Episcopal ChurchTradition5 entriesEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition5 entriesEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition5 entriesEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaTradition3 entriesFree Methodist ChurchTradition2 entriesGeorgian Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesGlobal Methodist ChurchTradition2 entriesGreek Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesHaredi JudaismTradition12 entriesHasidic JudaismTradition11 entriesHumanistic JudaismTradition1 entryKaraite JudaismTradition1 entryLatter-day Saints (Mormonism)Tradition2 entriesLutheranismTradition3 entriesMaronite ChurchTradition2 entriesMennonitesTradition1 entryMethodismTradition2 entriesModern Orthodox JudaismTradition12 entriesMoravian ChurchTradition2 entriesNational Baptist Convention of AmericaTradition1 entryOld BelieversTradition2 entriesOriental OrthodoxyTradition5 entriesOrthodox JudaismTradition11 entriesPresbyterianismTradition2 entriesProgressive National Baptist ConventionTradition1 entryQuakerism (Religious Society of Friends)Tradition1 entryReconstructionist JudaismTradition1 entryReform JudaismTradition5 entriesRoman CatholicismTradition7 entriesRomanian Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesRussian Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesSaint Thomas ChristiansTradition2 entriesSerbian Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesShia (Twelver)Tradition1 entryUkrainian Greek Catholic ChurchTradition2 entriesUkrainian Orthodox ChurchTradition6 entriesThe United Methodist ChurchTradition2 entriesWesleyan ChurchTradition2 entriesSources1. 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.