ABSTRACT
Rituals are part of everyday life in all cultures. They can serve as automatic decision-makers in everyday existence. They guide people in deciding when to work and when to set their work aside; what, when, and with whom to eat; how to dress appropriately in various settings; who to include and exclude in various occasions; and, generally, how to engage in full and varied social and personal lives without agonizing over each detail. Calendrical celebrations and holidays are replete with rituals that cue accompanying appropriate behaviors. Rituals present an overlay or skeletal outline for living life, and the flexibility and dynamism of this outline allows for individuality, adaptation, and evolution.
