Ceremonial boxes in various sizes, colors & materials

A ceremony is a ceremony that marks an important event. During a ceremony, ritual actions are performed, which are often strictly recorded. Some ceremonies are one-off events, other ceremonies are regularly performed and are often an age-old tradition. For example, a ceremony can mark the most important events in a human life (rites of passages), such as birth, marriage or death. In many cultures and church communities, ceremonies are also celebrated when someone grows up, such as the confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church and the bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah in Judaism. An initiation is a ceremony that marks the entry of a person into a particular group or organization, such as novices in a religious monastic community or order, shafts in a Flemish student club and students in a Masonic lodge. Many ceremonial acts are part of the national identity, such as hoisting a flag and playing a national anthem. An important ceremony in the Netherlands is Prinsjesdag, where the head of state each year pronounces the throne in the Ridderzaal. Ceremonies are also performed at the coronation or inauguration of a king or queen, or in the appointment of an important person such as the pope and the presidents of, for example, France and the United States. In Belgium a new king must perform a special ceremony, the oath-taking of the King of the Belgians. Some ceremonies are performed to commemorate events or persons, such as the National Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, or to honor certain persons by awarding prizes and awards. Ceremonies are held at the signing of a law or treaty, the laying of the first stone or official opening of a building ("ribbon cutting"), the launching of a ship, and at the beginning and end of important events, such as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, where the Olympic flame is ignited. Certain ceremonies, often religious, mark special days such as the weekly Sabbath, a solstice, or the holidays of Christian saints. A tea ceremony is being conducted in several Asian countries, including Japan, China and South Korea. In this context drinking tea has become a semi-religious ceremony of strictly documented actions according to an age-old tradition. Many ceremonies are performed by a highly placed person. A ceremony is led by a master of ceremonies. A ceremonial protocol is the collection of written or unwritten rules that determine the course of affairs at a royal court, government, court or university. Such a protocol determines, for example, how a state visit or scientific promotion should take place. Some statements are inextricably linked to a ceremony, as I swear allegiance to ..., I wish you a safe voyage or I hereby declare you male and female. In addition, a ceremony can contain physical elements such as a procession, dance or the firing of rifle or cannon shots. Certain clothing, food and drink, weapons and other attributes can also be part of a ceremony.

 
Ceremony