*1.1. Ritual*

We start with a working definition of a ritual, derived from the work of many other ritual studies scholars, including, among others, Ronald Grimes. We define the concept "ritual" in a broad and open way as follows:

... [A ritual is] a more or less repeatable sequence of action units which take on a symbolic dimension through formalization, stylization, and their situation in place and time. On the one hand, individuals and groups express their ideas and ideals, their mentalities and identities through these rituals, on the other hand, the ritual actions shape, foster, and transform these ideas, mentalities, and identities. (Post 2015)

It is by no means our intention to suggest that we can clearly demarcate the boundaries of the concept with this working definition. Instead, the definition serves as an indication of what we can call a "core ritual" or a "full ritual," but it does not necessarily exclude other practices from having a ritual dimension. In ritual studies, we distinguish between rituals, ritualizing, and ritual-like practices (Post and Hoondert 2019, p. 10). Here, we follow Catherine Bell (1997), who presents alongside full rituals, ritual practices, and ritual behaviors with a ritual character (pp. 138–69). As an example, we can refer to current practices after a disaster or terrorist attack. In such a context, we see all kinds of practices that aim at expressing compassion, solidarity, anger, and protest. We have seen how cities all over the world expressed their solidarity by marking characteristic buildings with lasers and LED lights in the colors of the French flag after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in November 2015. Another example is the popularity of bee tattoos after the Manchester Arena attack during a performance by Ariana Grande in 2017 (the bee is the symbol of Manchester). A

**Citation:** Hoondert, Martin, and Paul Post. 2021. Introduction to Special Issue: Exploring Ritual Fields Today. *Religions* 12: 210. https:// doi.org/10.3390/rel12030210

Received: 18 February 2021 Accepted: 12 March 2021 Published: 19 March 2021

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third example can be drawn from the current COVID-19 pandemic. In the first few months of March–May 2020, we witnessed people singing songs of hope from their balconies and applauding the staff of overcrowded hospitals (e.g., in The Netherlands, the UK, and Spain). These examples involve practices with a ritual character, but are they "full rituals"?

Not everyone in ritual studies is happy with this search for a definition, even if it is only for a provisional and open working description. Many have taken a different route in looking for a series of "qualities of ritual" as they search for a so-called polythetic definition (Grimes 1990; McClymond 2016; Rappaport and Rappaport 1999; Snoek 2006). A polythetic definition works with a set of characteristics that may be applied to a particular phenomenon but do not necessarily have to, as opposed to a monothetic definition that uses exclusive criteria that all have to apply in a particular case. Those qualities or characteristics can take various forms. For instance, they can be "family characteristics of ritual," as proposed by Grimes (2014, p. 194). Grimes mentions various ways in which people ritualize their practices, including by traditionalizing, elevating, repeating, singularizing, prescribing, stylizing, and situating them in specific places and times. Others, like Gerard Lukken, list characteristics and qualities as functions or dimensions that together provide an image of what a ritual is and is capable of. Frequently mentioned functions of a ritual are channeling feelings and emotions, paying attention, expressing ideas and ideals, coping with contingency, and socializing (Lukken 2005; Post 2003).

In our opinion, both approaches to defining the concept "ritual" complement each other. On the one hand, we can use an open working definition, while on the other, we can employ the aforementioned sets of characteristics, strategies, and functions in the description, analysis, and evaluation of ritual practices.
