Religion Ritual and Ritualistic Objects

<p>This is a volume about the life and power of ritual objects in their religious ritual settings. In this Special Issue we see a wide range of contributions on material culture and ritual practices across religions. By focusing on the dynamic interrelations between objects ritual and belief it explores how religion happens through symbolic materiality.</p><p>The ritual objects presented in this volume include: <strong>masks</strong> worn in the Dogon dance; antique ecclesiastical <strong>silver</strong> objects carried around in festive processions and shown in shrines in the southern Andes; <strong>funerary photographs</strong> and films functioning as mnemonic objects for grieving children; a dented rock surface perceived to be <strong>the god’s footprint</strong> in the archaic place of pilgrimage Gaya (India); a <strong>recovered manual</strong> <strong>of rituals</strong> (from Xiapu county) for Mani the founder of Manichaeism juxtaposed to a <strong>Manichaean painting</strong> from southern China; <strong>sacred stories</strong> and related <strong>sacred stones</strong> in the Alor–Pantar archipelago Indonesia; <strong>lotus</strong> symbolism indicating immortalizing plants in the mythic traditions of Egypt the Levant and Mesopotamia;  lavishly illustrated variations of portrayals of <strong>Ravana</strong> a Sinhalese god-king-demon; <strong>figurines made of cow dung </strong>sculptured by rural women in Rajasthan (India); and mythical artifacts called <strong>‘Apples of Eden’ </strong>in a well-known interactive game series.</p>