ABSTRACT
Communities use rituals as one way to convey information to members, marking occasions of some significance. Myerhoff (1992) provided a typical definition: “Ritual is an act or actions intentionally conducted by a group of people employing one or more symbols in a repetitive, formal, precise, highly stylized fashion” (p. 129).1 A symbol is a type of sign; the definition of a sign is something that stands for something else.2 A symbol is that type of sign where the relationship between the visible aspect (the something present in the interaction) and the implicit aspect (the something else, generally not present) is arbitrary. For example, when the color white is assumed to stand for virginity or innocence, it is being used as a symbol because no literal connection exists between the abstract concept of innocence and the visible color white. This is made especially clear by the fact that different cultures associate different attributes with different colors. That is, a white wedding dress in the United States makes use of the symbolic meaning of the color white, and therefore is understood by the majority of the participants (whether explicitly or not) as implying something about the bride’s virginity, or at least her relative innocence. In China white is associated with death and funerals, and so red, the color of happiness, is deemed a far more appropriate choice for a bride’s wedding dress. A French bride wearing red because she has previously been married, has two children, and does not wish to wear the white of innocence, but who conducts research in China where red is the color of happiness (Couple 75, as described
in Interlude 3), requires a fairly sophisticated audience to follow along and correctly interpret the implications of her use of color symbolism. This is the value of symbols: permitting complex ideas to be communicated relatively quickly, and with a minimum of explicit explanation for those who share an understanding of the symbol. The fact that members of a community share this understanding reinforces their sense of belonging. When some members of the audience cannot correctly interpret the symbolism used, it emphasizes their lack of co-member ship in one or more relevant communities.
