Rituele veranderingen met betrekking tot de huwelijkssluiting. Een onderzoekvoorstel

Abstract

Ritual behaviour is changing. This is also true for the so-called rites de passage. This article deals with one of these rites de passage, the celebration of marriage. It is a report of a pilot study for a research project. The following questions are phrased: What changes can we see in our society in the three forms of solemnisation of marriage: the ecclesiastical service, the religious celebration and the civil marriage? What shifts are there between these three forms, in form, content and reception? How may we evaluate these changes, first in the perspective of ritual studies, secondly from the perspective of liturgical studies and the theology of the sacraments? This report puts these questions in the context of the general changes in the 'ritual landscape' in our culture, especially dealing with developments in the rites surrounding death. Finally some initial notions are discussed for a framework for the interpretation of changes in the marriage rituals.