ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with yet another common denominator of all East European states, namely the ritual related to many aspects of political life. The rules of the ritual are always the same: the visiting leader is greeted by his counterpart and other top officials. The ritual and its rigid formulas govern other areas of public life. The ritual is evident whenever East European delegates attend congresses of communist or socialist parties. The ritual dictates the greetings messages and the orders bestowed on East European leaders on their birthdays. Ritual is manifested not only in communiques and greetings messages and the order of their appearance, but also in the celebration of international communist holidays. The festive meetings marking the events, the official slogans published on the eve of these special days, the parades and manifestations, and the speeches of the leaders are a part of the ritual, and thus subject to elaborate coordination and synchronization.
