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African religion does not involve one body of religious practices that can be identified as African, but involve various ceremonies with similarities possibly resulting from interactions and communications between communities. The religious ceremonies involve different sacrifices and rituals whose main aim is to purify a person or community. The ceremonies are intertwined with African ways of life so that regular so that regular sacrifices comprise of rites of passage, including birth, initiation, marriage and death (Cox, 2016). They may also be carried out when a person is occupying the position of a priest or king. The period for the right of passage may be long or short and the person being initiated has to be symbolically and physically be secluded from the community. Other ceremonies include sacrifices for special purification for example to heal a person. They were also carried out to appease the gods in case of calamities such as drought, feminine or disease outbreaks (Australia, Lie, & Furze, 2014). The priest or elders communicate with ancestors through divination practice and such diviners are believed to do so for spiritual powers, explain disasters or foretell possible future occurrences.
Hinduism ceremonies involve behaviors, which are the most important aspect before beliefs and after the community. While African religious ceremonies are focused on rites of passage and significant events, Hinduisms ceremonies involves more of doing than belief in right thing. These practices consists of “Marks on the forehead” which indicates a person’s type of Hindu, and others shows devotion; “puja” involves worship even and performed by women unlike in her house. There are various seasonal Hindu festivals with each having unique story and manner of celebration. Another ceremony involve visitation to the religious holy sites and temples either on daily basis, weekly or even sporadically (Cox, 2016).
Buddhism ceremonies involve a combination of various popular practices and some are deeply founded on earliest Buddhist community experience and have been part of the religion’s traditions. The ceremonies are carried out in four holy days each month. Uposatha service basically consists of repeating the precepts where flowers are offered to Buddha image and it is accompanied by meditation practices. Other ceremonies involve the celebration of life of Buddha and include birth, enlightment and entering the Funal Nirvana. These are observed the Buddhist nations. Other festivals relates to rainy seasons, the All Souls Festivals, the Harvest and New Year’s festivals (Cox, 2016). Buddhist also undertakes various pilgrimages which are meant to instill discipline and enhance spiritual development. The Oceanic religious ceremonies and rituals are likely to have certain effect in nature, meaning they are mostly similar to African religions (Cox, 2016).
These regions appear to have similarities in that they all have certain holy sites where ceremonies would be conducted especially in reference to their deities. The ceremonies seem to have been closely intertwined with the people’s way of life. There are also objectives or elements that are associated with all the regions such as oil, burning of incense and offerings either daily or some specific days.
Clothing in African cultures served the role of expressing personal and group behavior, and provides a sense of similar coexistence of their traditional dressing styles for many occasions. By putting on the traditional dress the individuals would be expressing religious identity or tribal affiliations McCracken, (Grant, 1988). Most of the western clothing was not meant for covering since the environment was mostly hot and the only cloths needed were few (Diop, F., & Merunka, 2013). Some clothing would be worn by people who performing certain religious rituals or ceremonies.
References
Cox, J. L. (2016). From primitive to indigenous: The academic study of indigenous religions. Routledge.
Australia, C. L., Lie, J., & Furze, B. (2014). Sociology in Today's World - with Student Resource Access 12 Months. Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.
Diop, F., & Merunka, D. (2013). African tradition and global consumer culture: Understanding attachment to traditional dress style in West Africa. International Business Research, 6(11), 1.
McCracken, Grant David. 1988. Culture and consumption: new approaches to the symbolic character of consumer goods and activities. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
