* The Aluk religion in the Toraja society and the people of Tana Toraja, embrace religious rituals such as the funeral ceremony where a sacred cockfight, known as bulangan londong or saung, is an integral part of the ceremony and considered sacred because of the spilling of blood on the earth in spiritual appeasement.

In the rainforest, these tend towards the purification of one's self-abstaining from spicy and heavily-seasoned foods, excess fat, salt, caffeine, acidic foods ( such as citrus ) and sex before, after, or during a ceremony.

Article 25 of the Thirty-Nine Articles, speaking of the sacraments, says: " Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures ; but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.

It is also used for other ceremonies on special occasions, such as the Holy Saturday ceremony of the Holy Fire celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent legislated more specific requirements, such as the presence of a priest and two witnesses, as well as promulgation of the marriage announcement thirty days prior to the ceremony.

More often, an electoral suite or embassy was sent to cast the vote ; the credentials of such representatives were verified by the Archbishop of Mainz, who presided over the ceremony.

The ceremony includes speeches by senior Israeli officials, an artistic presentation, a ritual march of flag-carrying soldiers forming elaborate structures ( such as a Menorah, a Magen David and the number which represents the age of the State of Israel ) and the lighting of twelve beacons ( one for each of the Tribes of Israel ).

Believing that more attention should be given to the message of the scriptures rather than to ceremony and worship, the Lollards denounced the doctrines of the Church such as transubstantiation, exorcism, pilgrimages, and blessings, believing these led to an emphasis on Church ritual rather than the Bible.

Crowley recommended symbolically ritual practices, such as bathing and robing before a main ceremony: " The bath signifies the removal of all things extraneous or antagonistic to the one thought.

One such ritual is the velada ceremony.

Since the destruction of the Second Temple, and ( therefore ) the cessation of the daily and seasonal temple ceremonies and sacrifices, Kohanim in traditional Judaism ( Orthodox Judaism and to some extent, Conservative Judaism ) continue to perform a number of priestly ceremonies and roles such as the Pidyon HaBen ( redemption of a first-born son ) ceremony and the Priestly Blessing, and have remained subject, particularly in Orthodox Judaism, to a number of restrictions, such as restrictions on certain marriages and ritual purity ( see Kohanic disqualifications ).

So while all male Israelites had the sign of the covenant performed on them in a once off ceremony soon after birth, such a signifier was external only and not a true indicator of whether or not they would later exhibit true faith in Yahweh.

But in other instances, Mary McAleese has been criticised for certain comments, such as a reference to the way in which Protestant children in Northern Ireland had been brought up to hate Catholics just as German children had been encouraged to hate Jews under the Nazi regime, on 27 January 2005, following her attendance at the ceremony commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp .< ref >

Scott admitted feeling " stunned and truly humbled " after the ceremony, saying, " As a boy growing up in South Shields, I could never have imagined that I would receive such a special recognition.

Aluk or Aluk To Dolo a sect of Agama Hindu Dharma as a part of religion in Indonesia, within the Toraja society and the people of Tana Toraja, embrace religious rituals such as the funeral ceremony where a sacred cockfight is an integral part of the religious ceremony and considered sacred within that spiritual realm.

" The first such Neo-druidic group to make use of the megalithic monument was the Ancient Order of Druids, who performed a mass initiation ceremony there in August 1905, in which they admitted 259 new members into their organisation.

The ceremony was conducted as a memorial service, with selections from her films shown and tributes provided by such associates as George Cukor.

A civil wedding is a ceremony presided over by a local civil authority, such as an elected or appointed judge, Justice of the Peace or the mayor of a locality.

Where such partnerships are not legally recognized, the wedding may be a religious or symbolic ceremony designed to provide an opportunity to make the same public declarations and celebration with friends and family that any other type of wedding may afford.

Many conventions also have an Artist, Editor, and Science guests, and most have a Toastmaster for major events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the Hugo award ceremony.

If ever such an appeal was out of place, it was in a high-minded notification ceremony.

Officially, the church does not prohibit clergy-performed blessing ceremonies for same sex unions, as long as it clear that the blessing ritual is not a marriage ceremony.

In 1997, Al Sharpton, a Christian minister and a candidate for the 2004 presidential election, who had also taken part in other Unification Church events and holidays, took part in a blessing ceremony at RFK Stadium, Washington, D. C., as a wedding-vow renewal with his wife.

In 2001, the Catholic Church archbishop Emmanuel Milingo was wed by Moon with a Unification Church member in a blessing ceremony against the will of the Pope.

In 2009, a blessing ceremony for 7, 000 couples was attended by the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and by the daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee.

In 1997, Louis Farrakhan, the leader of The Nation of Islam, an African American Islamic organization, served as a " co-officiator " at a blessing ceremony presided over by Moon and Han.

Most Christian churches give some form of blessing to a marriage ; the wedding ceremony typically includes some sort of pledge by the community to support the couple's relationship.

Today, Jewish Kohanim know their status by family tradition and DNA, and still offer the priestly blessing during certain services in the synagogue and perform the Pidyon Ha-ben ( redemption of the first-born son ) ceremony.

Belgium's monarchs are inaugurated without the blessing of the Catholic Church in a purely civil swearing-in ceremony.

Legends claim that even the lily itself appeared at the baptismal ceremony as a gift of blessing in an apparition of the blessed Virgin Mary.

The Conference of Bishops responded, " There is basis neither in Scripture nor tradition for the establishment of an official ceremony by this church for the blessing of a homosexual relationship.

Another variation says a lily appeared at Clovis ' baptismal ceremony as a gift of blessing from an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is often associated with the flower.

The Reverend Martin Dudley who officiated at the ceremony at St Bartholomew-the-Great maintained that the ceremony was a " blessing " rather than a matrimonial ceremony.

* Turun mandi-baby blessing ceremony

Since 1968, the Pope has officiated at a special ceremony in St. Peter's Square on Gaudete Sunday that involves blessing hundreds of mangers and Babies Jesus for the children of Rome, Italy.

It was also worn when a pope gave his traditional Christmas and Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of St Peter's, the only religious ceremony when the tiara was worn.

The blessing ceremony, preferably held outside the church includes the reading of a Gospel account of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey, reminiscent of a Davidic victory procession, and how people placed palms on the ground in front of him.

In the end, an agreement was found and the Catholic representatives opened the Zentralfriedhof with a small blessing ceremony, but refrained from too much ceremonial pomposity.

This is concluded by a special blessing ceremony given by resident Rinpoche to the general public followed by the world renowned Mask Dances performed by the monks.

While the ceremony itself is civil, many Buddhists obtain the blessing from monks at the local temple after the marriage is completed.

* Baraka, also berakhah, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony