TEXT:

“Every Christmas, or other important days like graduations and stuff, we go to Riptide for dinner to celebrate. We’ve been doing this for a while now and we always look forward to it.”

CONTEXT:

Riptide is a high-end teppanyaki restaurant, and the informant began this tradition because she only wanted to spend the money on special occasions. Now, it has become a regular component of her Christmas celebration, to the point where it is just expected that the family will be going.

ANALYSIS:

This ritual showcases the ritual license effect. This term refers to how people get a pass on holidays or special occasions to act differently than they would any other day. On an average day, the informant would not pay for the expensive dinner, but when it is a holiday, the expense is much more justifiable. Additionally, this ritual follows a calendar cycle as it is scheduled to occur on specific days of the year. This means the family anticipates when it is going to happen and gets to look forward to it as another part of their Christmas celebration.