Sorority Rituals - Reflections On Rites of ... - Mari Ann Callais

Several of the participants related the ritual ceremony to that of a church service with some of
them using the analogy of some type of Catholic service or ritual specifically:
The initiation ceremony so far is my favorite ritual that I have participated in. I haven’t
gone through when anyone else is initiated, but my initiation just meant a lot to me. I am
Catholic and initiation reminded me of when I went through confirmation in a weird way.
It was just a very powerful moment and it was just a good bonding experience. Everyone
in the chapter was there and it was very sacred.
As indicated in Chapter II, some of the sororities were founded on religious principles.
Therefore, the participants’ association between religious beliefs and the ritual ceremony was not
unexpected. For many of the participants, the very nature of the ritual in a ceremonial context
invoked association with religious ceremonies, even if they did not see themselves as “religious”
or “spiritual” women.
Sorority Women’s Perception of Ritual
The second theme conveyed by the participants’ descriptions was the sorority women’s
perception of ritual. Although participants commented on the different types of ritual ceremonies,
the primary reference to ritual was the initiation ceremony: “Initiation is the most sacred ritual.”
Several other references were made to ritual as the initiation ceremony. Therefore, the second
theme details three major descriptions as to the participants’ perception of ritual: (a) ritual as a
bonding experience, (b) ritual as a tradition, and (c) ritual as a required activity.
Ritual as a Bonding Experience
Many participants indicated that ritual was a bonding experience to bring the chapter
together: “The general purpose of ritual is to bring us together and realize why we are here.”
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