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

ceremony when a member passes away. Some of the ritual ceremonies, referred to as closed
ceremonies, limit attendance to initiated members only, while some, referred to as open
ceremonies, may have non-initiated members in attendance.
Like Turner, Driver (1991) refers to ritual in terms of performance. Driver (1991) states
that if any one thing clearly distinguishes performance in the ritual mode from other kinds of
events, it is that the performer assumes roles and relates what is going on in an “as if” way not
appropriate to the workday world. As Turner insists, ritual realizes itself in a subjective mood.
He believes that the so-called “sacred space" and “sacred time” of religious rituals are, above all,
imaginative construction, “rules of the game.” The purpose, then, of performing rituals is to help
make the ideas of a culture concrete, to take on a form, and to give direction to a group (Butler,
1990). Our understanding of the world does not come merely from mind, but rather from a
coming together of mind, emotion, and body (Schultz & Lavenda, 1990).
The consistent performance of the ritual has been the foundation of sororities since 1851.
Many of the NPC sororities have made changes to the initial ceremonies since they were written
by their founders as expressed earlier in the example of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The way that the
rituals were performed, the ritual equipment used, and even the wording has possibly been
changed over the years. Others have made changes due to certain religious challenges. Some of
the rituals of the sororities were based upon or included certain religious references. Some of the
sororities have even evaluated and changed the way that certain rituals are delivered. Whatever
the case may be, it is important that the ceremony, as Turner (1969) and others have indicated, be
performed with consistency and passion in order for the ceremony to have a lasting and
meaningful effect on those participating.
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