Rituals, Rites and Celebrations

Ritual, rite, ceremony, celebration, tradition, custom, observance – – these words describe something sacred handed down from generation to generation. They relate to various themes throughout history and address class, occupation, belief, relationship, family, identity, gender – – in short, all the elements that occupy the lives of human beings and help to explain who we were, and are, and who our children will become.

Between 1973 and 2005, Evansville photographer Al Harding and his wife Roberta visited over 100 countries. The rituals they observed during these travels were as varied as the places visited. Each was captured by Al Harding’s camera lens and described in notes by Roberta.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.