vienna

y consumer rites arises from the simple fact that people are
unable to shop because all shops close down so that they can
perform their religious rites at their own holy places. Sometimes
these holidays fall on weekends and sometimes on weekdays.
Consequently, consumer culture has created its own rites, its
blueprint being the social function of Christmas. In most cultures
that celebrate Christmas, the rite is performed to stabilise the
institution of the family. As there are other basic social functions
not celebrated by religion, like the father, the mother and the
beloved, consumer culture created new rites. These rites are in
the calendars of all the marketing departments around the world:
Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. And they are
sacred to consumer culture. In fact, they are so important that
industry even creates special products or product packaging for
these events. A good example for this is the fragrance business.
Secular products for everyday use are covered by the animation
colour. Special altars are erected at the points of sales in order to
present the oblations for fathers, mothers and the beloved. These
altars have to be designed more innovatively and strikingly each
year and a large proportion of the annual marketing budget is
sacrificed for this religious service. The best designers are asked
for their assistance, for it is not the duty of the salespeople to
decorate the altar. Everything is designed in advance; nothing is
left to chance. Companies go a long way to produce ever more
attractive decorations for their events. Everyone wants to be
more striking, more festive in order to enhance sales during the
period before the rites are celebrated. The creation of special
show windows dedicated to Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and
Valentine’s Day is yet another important marketing tool. As a
result, everyone in the streets becomes aware weeks before the
day arrives that they must do their ritual shopping. Owing to the
significance of the occasion, no costs are spared for the artistic
decoration of the window presenting the merchandise. Mary
Douglas and Baron Isherwood describe the function of goods
as follows:
“Consumption uses goods to make firm and visible a particular
set of judgements in the fluid processes of classifying persons
and events. We have now defined it as ritual activity.” 45
45 Douglas/Isherwood (2002:45).
The
Death
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