Ritual Process

For the institution of marriage, there is a ritual that most be followed when wedding two people. The groom and bride walk down the aisle together as their parents follow behind them. This act is to show our value of equality. As the couple reach the altar, they must join hands and recite their vows to each other. The administrator of the wedding then must circle the couple eight times, each passing he throws catnip around the couple. He circles them eight times because it is believed that this can help the couple get through any tough years that lie ahead. There are four seasons in a year and since this is joining two people, the couple must be circled eight times to ensure a long a prosperous marriage. The administrator asks the couple if they take each other as husband and wife. After the agreement, a kitten is walked down the aisle with a tie as its collar towards the couple. The kitten is then given to the couple as their first cat together. This symbolizes the couples' fertility. It is believed that only after a couple can successfully raise their first can the couple reach fertility. Once this is done the ceremony is complete, and the couple are bound in marriage.

For the institution of economy, there are certain rituals that are practiced to ensure production of resources. The most popular ritual is our catnip ritual. This ritual starts before the seeds are even planted. To grow catnip, one must first plant the seeds in front of a Catalonia shrine or statue and ask Catalonia for life to the catnip. As this is asked one must also fast the day they ask as a form of sacrifice. The participant can only drink milk the day of the asking. This is due to Catalonia surviving weeks on just milk and is a symbol of her everlasting strength that she instills in all of our people. One must ask for life, because it is Catalonia who can give life. After the asking, the seeds are planted. For the next four days the participant must visit the plant twice a day. Each time they visit they must pray to Catalonia for her continued help in giving life to the seeds. After the four days, if the asking and praying was done properly the plant will sprout from the ground. Once it sprouts and grows, the participant must also give thanks to Catalonia. The participant will cut the first bud and place it by the shrine he used for the asking. This is to ensure Catalonia's help in the future.

In our government, there is a ritual that must be performed to make someone a board member. The ritual is a nine day ritual. The nine days symbolizes the nine lives of a cat. During the first three days the participant fasts, and can only drink milk. This is symbol to Catalonia, and hopes to give the participant the strength that Catalonia had, but also it serves to humble the participant. The next three days the participant must gather all of their personal belongings and put them all in a pile in the middle of town. They must also go around and give thanks and love to each person of the community. This is to build the connection between individual and the community. The last three days are the most important. First the participant must burn all of their personal belongings in front of the whole town. This is to show his sacrifice to the community. It also serves to show that the participant is there to serve the community and not themselves. After this is done the participant is sent to the coronation ceremony. Here each existing board member and the participant make a body puzzle. They must each hold hands with others. Each hand holding a different person's hand. This creates a puzzle, where the board members must untangle themselves without letting go of their hands. This serves to create an interconnectedness between the members. It signifies that the board members must work as whole and not individually. Once they complete the puzzle, the participant is proclaimed a board member.

In our religion of Catalonia, there are also many different rituals that are performed. The most practiced is the daily ritual to Catalonia. A devout follower of Catalonia will practice this ritual every night before going to sleep. This ritual accomplishes the continuous support of Catalonia, but also cements the relationship between Catalonia and her followers. A participant must sit before their Catalonia statue in complete silence for at least fifteen minutes. During the time of silence one must clear their mind and only think of Catalonia. They must give silent thanks to her. This is thought to be your own personal conversation with Catalonia. After the silence the participant must kiss the forehead four times. Between each kiss they must give audible thanks to Catalonia. The silence thanks represents the individual while the audible thanks represents our community. After this the ritual is complete and the participant has gained a closer bond to our Catalonia.

We also have rites of passage in our community. One of the main rites of passage is becoming a parent. First a couple finds out they are pregnant. At this stage the couple tells their friends and family of their pregnancy. This strips their previous status. After this they enter the next stage, which is the actual pregnancy. Over the next nine months, the couple are taught all the ways of being a parent. The father to be and the mother to be are taught together how to feed, bath, bath, change diapers, and all of the essentials of being a parent. In this stage it is somewhat ambiguous in how the couple is treated by others. At one point they are on their way to higher responsibilities, but in the process of learning from their family and peers, the couple is somewhat still treated as a child going to school. Not yet responsible, but not really a child either.  At this point there is great potential for the couple. In this stage the couple can make many different choices in their ambiguous status. After the nine months of pregnancy, the child is born. The parents are given the status of parents once they give the name to the child. Once this happens, the couple will then become peers or advisors for pregnant couples to come.