A ceremony is an activity, infused with ritual significance, performed on a certain occasion. For example, the Japanesetea ceremony was frequently held as a ritual of hospitality at the arrival of a guest.
Traditionally, a ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a personal human career, marking the significance of (for example):
Often ceremonies have a physical display or theatrical component: dance, a procession, the laying on of hands. But even greater importance usually attaches to a declaratory verbal pronouncement which may explain or cap the occasion, for instance:
I now pronounce you man and wife.
Happy New Year!
I swear to serve and defend the nation ...
Both physical and verbal components of a ceremony may become part of a liturgy.
