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

have been in my chapter. I am really trying to bring the rituals back since this is my last
year, but I have had a lot of resistance and people are sort of bothered by what I am trying
to do.
The sorority women’s reference to ritual may be more indicative of events happening in
their lives than of the ritual ceremony itself. Several of the participants indicated that if ritual or
something “with deeper meaning” was not a part of their chapter experience, then their interest in
the sorority waned because things with more meaning took precedence in their lives.
These responses suggest that the developmental growth process of the participants did
affect the relevance as well as the application of the ritual ceremony. The relevance of the
ceremonies either improved or diminished as the participants developed.
Sorority Women’s Level of Maturity
Several of the participants identified maturity as a factor in their understanding of the role
of ritual ceremonies or affecting the role of the ceremonies in their sorority experience. The
participants indicated that their ability to understand or appreciate the role of the ritual ceremony
had to do with their personal maturity level. Some of the sorority women said that the ritual
ceremony and their sorority experience actually helped them to mature: “My sorority’s ritual has
taught me so much as a person and has just helped me mature and it has helped me become a
lady . . . and a better person.” Several of the participants referenced reasons why they joined a
sorority in the first place and indicated that they did not know nor did they care if ritual
ceremonies were involved in sororities. If the participants did know that ritual was a part of the
sorority experience, it was usually negative and something that they had learned about from
others, television, or their parents. One participant even indicated “people probably see ritual as a
cult thing.”
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