| anoint |
to honor or make holy by applying oil as part of a religious ceremony. |
| baptism |
a Christian ceremony in which an infant, or older person who wishes to join the church, is sprinkled with water or dipped in water. |
| baptize |
to perform the Christian ceremony of dipping in or sprinkling with water as a symbol of becoming a member of the church. [2 definitions] |
| bar mitzvah |
a Jewish ceremony that celebrates a boy becoming an adult and the beginning of his religious duties. The bar mitzvah usually takes place when the boy is thirteen years old. |
| bat mitzvah |
a Jewish ceremony that celebrates a girl becoming an adult and the beginning of her religious duties. The bat mitzvah usually takes place when the girl is thirteen years old. |
| bridesmaid |
A bridesmaid is a woman who helps out the bride before her wedding ceremony and typically follows the bride as she walks down the wedding aisle. Bridesmaids are often friends of the bride. Some brides may choose not to have bridesmaids, but others choose to have several. |
| ceremony |
A ceremony is a set of things that people do for a very important and special event. When people get married or finish school, for example, there is a ceremony. |
| changing of the guard |
a ceremony in which a guard is replaced by another guard. |
| commencement |
the day or ceremony of graduation from a school or college. [1/2 definitions] |
| confirmation |
a ceremony that makes a person a member of a church or other religious organization. [1/3 definitions] |
| coronation |
the ceremony at which a king or queen is crowned. |
| dedication |
the ceremony of opening something newly built, such as a building, a park, or a ship. [1/2 definitions] |
| exercise |
(often plural) a ceremony. [1/6 definitions] |
| festival |
a ceremony or celebration that repeats, often once a year, and involves special activities or amusements. [1/2 definitions] |
| function |
a formal social gathering or ceremony. [1/3 definitions] |
| funeral |
a ceremony for a dead person. |
| funeral home |
A funeral home is a place where the bodies of people who have died are brought and then taken care of for a short while. The workers at the funeral home prepare the body to be buried or for whatever the family of the dead person decides should be done. They also provide any necessary transportation for the body. Sometimes the funeral home is a place where the ceremony for a dead person takes place. The ceremony is called a "funeral." |
| graduation |
the ceremony at which a diploma is given or received. [1/2 definitions] |
| honor |
When people are honored for something that they have done, it means they are given a special award or ceremony for it, usually in public or in front of many people. [1/7 definitions] |
| inaugurate |
to put in office with an official ceremony. [1/2 definitions] |
| initiate |
to welcome as a member of a club or society by holding a formal ceremony or ritual. [1/2 definitions] |