Religious rituals

thumb|Divine Liturgy as celebrated (along with the [[Eucharist) under the Byzantine Rite in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembrance, supplication, or repentance. It forms a basis for establishing a relationship with God or the divine.

thumb|287px|Roman tonsure (Catholicism) Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word '''' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Tonsure, in its earliest Greek and Roman origin, was used as a sign or signifier for slavery. Tonsure can also refer to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sympathy, or to designate mourning. Current usage more gen

thumb|Thích Quảng Đức protesting the persecution of Buddhists in South Vietnam by self-immolation on 11 June 1963.

devotion to a deity, person or thing

thumb|upright=1.5|Ordination of a Catholic deacon, 1520 AD: the [[bishop bestows vestments.]]

type of religious offering, obejct displayed or deposted in a sacred place

divine marriage

thumb|Prisoners at a whipping post in a Delaware prison,

formal, ritualized killing of an animal as a sacred act

satanic religious practice

ritual that is a part of religious practices found in various cultures

offering made into fire in Indian religions

Agnihotra (IAST: Agnihotra, Devnagari: अग्निहोत्र) refers to the yajna of offering ghee into the sacred fire as per strict rites, and may include twice-daily heated milk offering made by those in the Śrauta tradition. The ritual has been described by P.E. Dumont as a "fertility charm", and as a "solar charm" which symbolically preserved and created the sun at nightfall and sunrise.

thumb|227x227px|Romans sacrificing a pig, a sheep, and a bull during a suovetaurilia Lustratio was an ancient Greek and ancient Roman purification ritual. It included a procession and in some circumstances the sacrifice of a pig (sus), a ram (ovis), and a bull (taurus) (suovetaurilia). The name is the source of English "lustration" (a purification).

Hindu religious sacrement and infant haircut

religious practice of sleeping in a sacred area with the intention of experiencing a divinely inspired dream or cure

, also known in Chinese as da sheng zhuang (), is a cultural practice of human sacrifice of premature burial before the construction of buildings. Hitobashira was practiced formerly in Japan as a form of human sacrifice. A person was buried alive under or near large-scale buildings like dams, bridges and castles, as a prayer to kami (indigenous divinities). It was believed that these builders' rites would protect the building from destruction by natural disasters, such as floods, or by enemy attacks. Hitobashira can also refer to the workers who were buried alive under inhumane conditions.

Ritualistic killing of children in pre-Columbian cultures

Christian tradition of blessing one's home. Also a former Scottish notification to tenants that they must vacate.

Ceremonial blessing of companion, agricultural, or working animals

Aztec religious ceremony of renewal held every 52 years

Shia religious ritual

incense box used in sacrifices

An oblation is a solemn offering, sacrifice or presentation to God, to the Church for use in God's service, or to the faithful, such as giving alms to the poor.

historical calendar of religious observances

sacred ceremony or liturgical tradition in Christianity

traditional religious rituals practiced by Norse pagans in Scandinavia

Roman ritual plowing undertaken when formally establishing a new settlement