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

associated with sororities are secret and only known by those who have shared in those
ceremonies. Ritual ceremonies are often not even discussed within the confines of the sorority
because members have been taught that ritual is something that is sacred and secret and should
not be discussed due to the fear that someone who is not an initiated member may overhear the
conversation. This concept has been challenged in recent times as an attempt to bring
contemporary sorority members back to the focal point of the sorority, which is supposed to be
ritual.
The secrecy of individual sorority rituals established clear parameters for the in-depth
investigation of specific symbols, passages, and actions performed during the actual ritual
ceremonies. Although this could have been somewhat of a challenge, my approach was one that
gave the sorority women an opportunity to discuss the role of ritual in a non-intrusive
environment. By working with chapters not of my affiliation, I have learned how to discuss ritual
in concept without knowing the specifics of their rituals. Clarity and openness with the
undergraduate sorority women and their national representatives have been crucial components
of this study. Instead of specific words or descriptions of individual sorority ritual ceremonies,
specifically initiation, I only included commonalties that all sorority rituals encompass such as
the use of common themes, religious foundations, if applicable, and expectation standards that
are portrayed through the ritual ceremonies and open creeds and mottoes.
In Chapter two, I discussed the works of Victor Turner (1969) and his perspective of the
importance of the performance of the ritual ceremony. One of the major limitations of this study
was the participants presented their assessment of the impact of the ritual ceremony. The
limitation is that because sorority rituals, specifically, initiation, are closed ceremonies, I was not
able to participate or observe the performance of an actual ceremony. The account by the
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