Shaping Time

One of the important functions of religious ritual used to be to create a cycle of special days and times of year. The Christian liturgical year marked times of work and rest, punctuated the changing of the seasons and placed the individual in a wider chronological context. With the decline of religious practice, the writer Madeleine Bunting argues, that structure is gone. So where does that leave people like herself, who grew up a Catholic but turned away from the faith? Madeleine explores new rituals that have taken the place of Sunday worship: in her own case, pond swimming. This BBC Radio 3 series explores aspects of ritual throughout this week, including public and private Christmas rituals, and asks what the Covid pandemic has taught us about their significance. The series producer is Kristine Pommert for CTVC.