Presenting gifts at funerals, weddings, and other ceremonies held by fellow villagers have been regarded as social norms in Chinese villages for thousands of years. However, it is more burdensome for the poor to take part in these social occasions than for the rich. Because the poor often lack the necessary resources, they are forced to cut back on basic consumption, such as food, in order to a...

In an essay on kingship and charisma, Clifford Geertz once likened the use of fêtes, bestowals of gifts, processions, and other public acts associated with royal accession ceremonies to the “spreading of scent” by widely ranging wolves and tigers. While perhaps a crude equation of culturally and religiously inspired human rituals with the socio-biology of animals, Geertz drew upon this juxtapos...

THE practice of making death-masks is of considerable antiquity, dating at least from the fifteenth century. Originally it had two purposes. One was to form the head of an effigy used in the funeral ceremonies of kings, queens, princes and other distinguished persons. A life-sized wooden effigy was made which was clothed and carried on the coffin in the funeral procession, the head and hands be...

1. Artifacts: These are visible components of culture, they are easy to formulate, have some physical shape, yet its perception varies from one individual to another. 1. Rituals and ceremonies: New hire trainings, new hire welcome lunches, annual corporate conferences, awards, offsite meetings and trainings are few examples of most common rituals and ceremonies. 2. Symbols & Slogans: These are ...