The life of a person as the member of the group or community is associated with definite rites and ceremonies which are followed to respond to the traditions, and cultural values developed during the centuries of the group’s historical progress. Many rites can be discussed as the rites of intensification because they determine the period of significant changes in the person and group’s life.
The changes of seasons and associated activities are as significant for people as the changes in their social statuses. From this point, many rites of passage are the rites of intensification in their nature because to achieve the definite point in the group’s development or to receive the definite status; people should overcome some barriers and cross the boundaries.
In this case, all the phases of the rite are important for a person because he or she can understand the role of the transition and the effects of changes more clearly. Rites of passage and intensification are developed to accentuate the values and traditions within the community, and as a result, they emphasize the ties between people belonging to the community.
Thus, rites, rituals, and ceremonies reflect the cultural heritage of the community and contribute to developing the sense of cohesion because people perceive their social ties more actively with references to various customary practices and focus on the idea of belonging to the community.
The discussion of many rituals and ceremonies as rites of intensification depends on the ideas of transformation, transition, and responsibility.
From this point, the changes of the seasons, for instance, mean natural transformations; the period of growing seeds or preparing the harvest determines the process of transition to the other season, and these activities as the fact accentuate the persons’ responsibility to overcome the critical situation of changes. However, such important situations of transitioning to the new form or status can also affect a man personally.
On the other hand, the fact of belonging to the family and community supports the idea that the ties within the group can be influenced significantly. For instance, referring to the Arab weddings as the rites of passage, it is possible to note that the marriage of a young man and woman means not only the changes in these persons’ social status but also the changes in their family ties.
Furthermore, the wedding can be considered as the important rite of intensification when two families choose to be brought together, and all the familial ties are intensified and improved. As a result, the group’s sense of cohesion increases with references to the establishment of the new large family and development of new ties between the relatives.
The role of the group’s sense of cohesion in customary practices is significant because people need to feel the ties and their connection with the other persons within the family, group, and community. This sense of cohesion and belonging to the group is associated with the feelings of personal confidence and security.
While participating in different rites and ceremonies which are important for the person because of his or her identity and culture, the individual can acquire the necessary feelings of confidence and security because of relying on the group’s support. Thus, the person’s self-esteem and understanding of his or her role for the group increase, contributing to the individual’s personal development and growth as the social actor.
Moreover, the sense of cohesion develops with references to the actual idea of rites because, while participating in many various rites and ceremonies, a person understands that he or she is the part of the group which follows definite traditions and specific rituals.
For instance, in Arab culture, the fathers of brides and grooms put their hands together to press the thumbs on the traditional act before signing the wedding contract to state the fact of uniting the families.
Furthermore, many Arab rituals associated with the ceremony of wedding and preparations to it are developed to emphasize the idea of improving the familial ties and bonds between the bride and groom’s families. These rituals are necessary to accentuate the role of the sense of cohesion not only for the young couple but also for all the relatives.
The family is the group of persons who have the most developed ties and bonds because they are connected not only with the help of social rituals but also with references to their natural relationship and kinship based on blood. Therefore, relatives as the members of the family group are characterized by the strongest sense of cohesion.
That is why the wedding is traditionally discussed as a very important rite in many cultures because the members of two different families begin to cohere to form the new social cell. Following the example of the Arab wedding and marriage as the change of statuses, it is possible to note that young bride and groom can experience significant stress and tension associated with the transition to the new form of relations and the new social status.
The concepts of prestige and recognition are also associated with this type of transition in the Arab culture. In this case, the sense of cohesion which is based on the strong familial ties, provides the necessary feeling of security for those family members who are involved in the wedding ceremonies as the rite of intensification.
Cohesion, support, and cooperation are important conditions to discuss the group as the strong organism which can overcome the critical social situations and contribute to the personal transition from one status to another.
Rites of passage and rites of intensification associated with a lot of ceremonies and rituals which can differ depending on the cultures and traditions are important for the person’s development because these customary practices provide individuals with the necessary feelings of self-esteem, self-worth, confidence, and security.
The rites also emphasize the transition of the group or the person to the new stage of the development that is why all the connected phases contribute to assisting the group or the person in overcoming the critical situation of changes. At this stage, the sense of cohesion is important for all the participants of the rites and ceremonies because of the natural necessity to feel support and approval.
The strongest sense of cohesion is typical for the family members because this group is based not only on the social norms but also on the aspects of kinship. That is why, marriage and the ceremony of the wedding are significant for persons because two families are united, and improved familial ties contribute to intensifying the sense of cohesion as the feeling of belonging to the definite social group.