*1.2. Ritual Fields and Repertoires*

In current ritual studies, the insight has been shared that rituals are definitely not traditional in the sense of being invariable and not subject to change. On the contrary, rituals are mobile, dynamic, and changing. Rituals can be found in several spaces and cultural domains. We distinguish six "ritual fields" (i.e., cultural domains in which rituals can be traced). We present these ritual fields briefly here, but not without first stating that these fields are closely related to each other and partly overlap (see also Post 2013):


Within these ritual fields, we can distinguish several so-called ritual repertoires. Although there is a direct relation between the fields and the repertoires, the focus of a ritual repertoire is not so much on a cultural domain as it is on being a unit of ritual practices that share a certain coherence in terms of form and design, or manifestation and participation. A good example of a ritual repertoire is food rituals. We can trace them within the field of religion (e.g., Eucharist, the Last Supper, and offerings of food in Hindu rituals), but also in the field of life cycles: No birthday celebration can be held without cake and other delicacies. Another example is silence or meditation. This repertoire is part of the fields of religion, artistic practices (e.g., the rule not to applaud after each section of a concerto), and memory culture (e.g., the one or two minutes of silence as an expression of respect to victims of war and violence).

As already indicated, these ritual fields are important for understanding the dynamics regarding rituals in contemporary culture. In the so-called network culture, there is a constant "flow" between and through these fields. Two examples make this clear. First, an abbey or monastery in (post)modern Western Europe is still a religious center of prayer and contemplation. At the same time, it is a place for relaxation, heritage, or nature experience, health and well-being, and good and honest food. Second, the popularity of the Camino1, the old pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, is directly linked to the fact that this ritual is embedded in almost all fields. For some, the pilgrimage is a religious endeavor, whereas for others, it is a sporting adventure or a cultural-historical route along interesting heritage centers.
