I was wondering the other day, that our lives consist of big and small rituals, some of which we do on a daily basis, others more rarely – once a week/month or even a year. Some people find these rituals, especially the frequent ones boring, because for them they become a mandatory routine.

Of course, doing the same thing over and over again for years can become a little depressing, if there’s absolutely no new stuff going on in your life. Changes are necessary and important for every person, because without them life becomes a big swamp.

I’m talking now about more occasional rituals, or the ones, that fill the empty parts of our days. For instance, having a cup of coffee every morning. Sounds really simple and boring, but if you think about it, there is beauty even in this dull activity, especially if you try to romanticize those moments as well. Or having a takeout every friday, meeting with your friends or relatives every other sunday etc. It kind of depends on us, whether we’ll see these things as an obligation or just another pleasant ritual which becomes an integral part of our life, or at least one period of life.

Seasonal rituals are my favorites. When a new season arrives, and you already know some of the things you’re going to do: have a walk in the botanical garden and enjoy the blossoms in spring, make cold lemonades in summer, go to the farmers market to find the perfect pumpkins in autumn, decorate your home with fairy lights in winter. These are all merely examples, because every person has their own rituals, things that fill their hearts with joy.

So, my question is, why do these rituals feel so special, cozy and soothing? Why does something as simple as buying a fresh bouquet of lilacs, or watching the autumn rain brings peace to us? And I think I found the answer to that: we live in a fast changing world, with tonnes of new information that we consume daily. Even if you won’t go out, talk to anyone or do anything at all for a whole week, you’ll still get overdosed with information that you’ll receive from TV, books, and, most importantly, internet. We think we’re doing okay, but in reality it’s all too much for us, hence why people now have so many mental problems, because our brain doesn’t cope well with this pressure.

The world is running like crazy, and we are not keeping up with its pace. We see changes happening every day, whether we want it or not. You think what does this have to do with rituals? Because they become our comfort in this rapid life. Doing things we used to do for years kind of gives us some balance and helps us be more grounded, calms and reassures us. Because it’s something we’ve done for years, we know precisely well how to do them, and even that thought calms us. It’s like having comfort movies that we watch every now on then, or listening to old songs.

Apart from that, rituals make us nostalgic for the good old days we had. While doing something now, we reminisce about the last time we did the same thing, and the heartwarming memories help us relax as well.

That’s why I consider rituals highly important. They help us rejoice the past, enjoy the present and create fun memories for the future. Moreover, they make us be more connected with one another, because we often share these rituals with our friends, family or even the whole nation. Some rituals become traditions that we keep and cherish. Like holiday activities – to decorate the Christmas tree, sing carols, rewatch Home Alone for the thousands of times for Christmas, carve pumpkins for Halloween, paint eggs for Easter… We are all different, living in different parts of this world, speaking in different languages, but there are things that unite us, and due to these rituals we share lots of common memories, and I find that really amazing.