One of humanity's leading breakers documents the astonishing rise of new rituals around the world, and offers a roadmap for restoring togetherness through gatherings you'll love.
Since ancient times, humans have turned to rituals to bond during times of change. To this day. Birth rites and coming-of-age rituals declined sharply; Less than half of Americans are married; Only one in three is buried. Bruce Feller writes: “It took us ten thousand years to establish cultural norms about how to celebrate collective life stages.It took us fifty years to dismantle it.” Can this threat to society be reversed?
To find out, Feller took a trip around the world in search of rituals, attending—and participating in—life rituals in sixteen countries on six continents. These rarely seen scenes include a mass baptism in the Vatican, a bride price negotiation in South Africa, a teen teeth-grinding session in Bali, six weddings in Las Vegas and ten funerals in Ireland.Alongside the decline of traditional rituals, Feller finds that we are experiencing a ritual renaissance that combats apathy, loneliness, and immersion in the digital world. Fed up with imposed rules, people from Baby Boomers to Generation Z are reinventing collective rituals at a dizzying pace, creating new ways to gather around life, love, health, and family, and creating thriving communities in the process.As he did in his book, Life in Transformations, Feller also collected the stories of 100 ritual designers and created a unique database of ideas to make gatherings more effective, from creating sacred space to resolving conflicts to creating wow moments that guests will talk about forever.From a master storyteller who uncovers a fascinating phenomenon lurking in broad daylight, A Time to Gather is both an inspiring adventure and a practical guide. It is a groundbreaking guide to modern ritual, a toolkit for transforming everyday moments into unforgettable celebrations, and an invitation to connect and rejoice together.
