A ritual is something one does every day, from the order of shower activities to brushing ones teeth. But to Greeks it’s something much more than that. To Greek students, Ritual is a way of life and an initiation, but to non-Greek students, these mysteries will always remain so.
“We vow to never tell anyone anything about our Ritual. A major part of it is that it’s secret,” Max Gonzalez, Sigma Phi Epsilon member, said.
“There is a difference between capital R Ritual and lowercase R ritual,” Kevin Webb said. Webb is Utah State University’s program director and Pi Kappa Alpha alumni. “Lowercase R ritual is something that you go through every day, while capital R Ritual offers up value that we as Greeks are supposed to live by,” Webb said.
According to Mari Ann Callais of Louisiana State University, a Ritual ceremony was written by the founders or the early members of the organization. The ceremony would most likely include ritual equipment that is comprised of items that have some significance or meaning for the sorority or fraternity.
A lot of misconceptions about fraternities and sororities, though, come from Ritual. Gonzalez said he believes media has a huge part in that. “People outside the Greek community only have the option of getting their info from what they see in movies and television shows. People sometimes associate that with cults and groups that do random or crazy things,” Gonzalez said. “In the Greek community, the word ‘ritual’ has a completely and separate meaning.”
“When I think of frat initiations all I think of is beatings, lashings and streaking,” freshman Gregory Sullivan said. “All of those things are shown in movies.”
Fraternity and sorority Ritual’s are an allegory for what the organization cares about and values the most. It teaches the members the meaning behind the organization, where it came from and what it truly means to be a member.
At Greek Leadership Weekend held in October, Webb asked participants about other organization’s Rituals. “I’ve never talked to Markus Schuette before, but I know the Sigma Chi Ritual by the way he acts and the way he treats others,” Michael Brice, Psi Sigma Phi member, said. “I know that his fraternity stands for and values all the things he shows every day.”
Webb went on to tell the GLW attendees that even though they may not know the direct words of another organization’s Ritual, they should still know it by the way the person acts. “If you’re really living your Ritual every day, people will know it. They just will,” Webb said.
For most Greeks, Ritual is their favorite part of being in a fraternity or sorority. “I absolutely love my Ritual,” Alpha Chi Omega member Kacie de Jong said. “It’s definitely something I always think about and it can help me better myself,” de Jong said. Gonzalez agrees. “Ritual is my favorite part of being in a fraternity. It was literally a life changing experience. It means that a group of guys or girls trust you enough to let you into the deepest most meaningful parts of who they are.
According to Callais, if Greeks didn’t have ritual, they wouldn’t keep ongoing relationships with members because there would be no continuity or anything to pass down. Members can only pass friendships so far, but Ritual is that something that Greeks were founded on and that is what makes the difference.
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