Abstract

It is impossible to imagine any religious system without its inherent ritual component. At the same time, given the polysemy and contextuality of the concept of "ritual", I immediately propose a limitation, which is extremely important for the methodology of disclosure of the topic. It is an interpretation of the ritual in the light of W. Robertson Smith's research setting. Accordingly, this concept becomes an identifier of religious practice, or more precisely, a designation of traditionally established and authoritatively supported various religious practices. Accordingly, we draw attention to the versatility of the term "ritual", which is used to fix religious practices, ceremonial activities and ceremonies.