Home›Sacrificial Rituals›Social Form›Performed by a gathered groupBrowse ByPerformed by a gathered groupThis page groups rituals by whether they are performed by a community together or by a single person alone. 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 group ceremonies from solitary devotional acts.FactsLearn MorePerformed by a gathered groupSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRites in which something is given up by a prescribed procedure to a recipient the tradition names - an animal, grain, ghee, a substitute. The one English word covers acts with no common mechanism: a Vedic oblation poured into fire, a Norse blot and an Islamic qurbani whose meat is distributed to the poor answer to different accounts of what the giving does. 2OriginsWhose Classification This IsWell-attestedThe comparative category was built by successive theorists - Tylor's gift theory, Robertson Smith's communion, Hubert and Mauss's essay of 1898, later Girard and Burkert - each generalising from a different tradition. No one theory has been accepted as covering the field, and the category holds only loosely. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRituals 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedUsed, but its validity as a comparative category is disputed 2Learn MoreThe sacrificial rituals This group gathers sacrificial rituals, the rites of offering, in which something of value (food, drink, animal or symbol) is given to the divine, whether in thanksgiving, petition, atonement or communion. Sacrifice is among the most ancient and widespread forms of religious act. The browser will find sacrificial rituals from across the traditions. The entries describe each rite's form and meaning, noting the tradition that performs it and the purpose the offering serves.Performed by a gathered groupFilter Results6 entriesAddressed ToAllAgni (1)Origin Period Start YearAll-1500 (1)900 (1)FrequencyAllAnnual (1)As the occasion requires (4)Seasonal, at set points in the year (1)Closed Practice StatusAllClosed ceremonial knowledge, described but not reproduced (1)ObligationAllOptional and voluntary (1)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (5)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputed (1)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (1)PractitionerAllAll adherents of the tradition (2)Clergy or ordained officiants (2)Trained or authorised specialists (2)Native To RegionAllAncient Israel (1)Greece (2)Indian Subcontinent (1)Scandinavia (1)Originated InAllAncient Israel (1)Greece (2)Indian Subcontinent (1)North America (1)Scandinavia (1)Originates In LanguageAllOld Norse (1)Vedic Sanskrit (1)Kind of ritualAllGreek and Roman Sacrifices (1)Indigenous Sacrificial Ceremonies and Sacred Games (1)Vedic Sacrificial Rites (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 6BlotPerformed by a gathered groupShelamim (The Offering of Well Being)Performed by a gathered groupSun DancePerformed by a gathered groupThe HecatombPerformed by a gathered groupThysia (Greek Animal Sacrifice)Performed by a gathered groupYajna (Fire Sacrifice)Performed 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. SacrificeView 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.