Rituals

= __Rituals__  = Rituals are the central componet of Shinto. Rituals where spoken about in the belif section of this wiki. Rituals are seen as a core belif in the Religion. There are some rituals that Rituals that are seasonal and are carried out on a annual basis or monthly basis. Shinto Rutuals tend to:
 * 1)  Lack intellectual content
 * 2) It seems like a performance rather than a personal act of devotion to God
 * 3) Some rituals are relaxed and can sometime be irreverent
 * 4) Last for a long time

In ancient times, Shinto rituals were a form to communicate with God, in which females performed sacred dances.

One of the most common ritual in the purification ritual, which should be done before interacting with the Gods. Purification is done with water, which can be simply rinsing, washing, or bathing one self. Other common rituals include reading of formal prayers from ancient collection and making food and drinks to be offered to the Gods, which is then later shared in a mean with the family.

Shrines are a common in Shinto which is also considered a ritual. Here you can see a small shrine in a house which have items numbered. I will talk about what each item is and means.
 * 1)  The tall vases are called "Sakaki Tate" which means ever green plant.
 * 2) The lided bottles behind are called "Heiji" and often contain milk. The dish is the center which is not makred will usually have rice in it.
 * 3) The lided bottle with points are called "Mizutama" and contains water which is fulled to about 60% of capacity.
 * 4) The plate on the right just has salt.
 * 5) This is called a "Ozen" which is a wooden plinth that is used for making offering.
 * 6) This is a small model of a wooden lamp shaped like a stone which are commenly found at shrine.

Another ritual they belived in is called a Shimenawa. . A shimenawa is a rice rope. They are to try and help keep impurities out and purify the space within. Shimenawa was first used to prevent the sun goddess Amaterasu from re-entering a cave to save the world from eternal night, according to the Kojiki. (There sacred book)