Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and rituals transmitted from generation to generation of a specific culture. It could be contrasted with the "organized religion" or "historical religion" in which founders, creed, theology and ecclesiastical organizations are present. Ethnic religion similarly refers to the religious practices particular to a certain ethnicity Folk religion and ethnic religion alike are characterized by the absence of proselytization, membership being as a rule equivalent to ethnicity. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... A creed is a statement or confession of belief — usually religious belief — or faith. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... The English language word proselytism is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix pros (towards) and the verb erchomai (to come). ...

The folk religion with the largest number of adherents is the Chinese folk religion, accounting for some 6% of world population. Various "primal indigenous" religions (animism, shamanism) account for another 4%, but elements of folk religion exist as part of all religious traditions and should be regarded as popular currents (as opposed to a theological or institutionalized) rather than as separate religions, so that folk religion like "superstition" is a truly endemic phenomenon present in every society. Clothed statues of Matsu / Mazu (Chinese goddess of the Sea) Chinese folk religion comprises the religion practiced in much of China for thousands of years which included ancestor veneration and drew heavily upon concepts and beings within Chinese mythology. ... Map of countries by population — China and India, the only two countries to have a population greater than one billion, together possess more than a third of the worlds population. ... The term Animism is derived from the Latin anima, meaning soul.[1][2] In its most general sense, animism is simply the belief in souls. ... A shaman doctor of Kyzyl. ... For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ...

Ethnic religion

In antiquity, religion was one defining factor of ethnicity, along with language, regional customs, national costume, etc. As Xenophanes famously comments: This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting customs duties and for controlling the flow of animals and goods (including personal effects and hazardous items) in and out of a country. ... Xenophanes of Colophon (Greek: Ξενοφάνης, 570 BC-480 BC) was a Greek philosopher, poet, and social and religious critic. ...

Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and snub-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair.

Ethnic religions may include officially sanctioned and organized civil religions with an organized clergy, but they are characterized in that adherents generally are defined by their ethnicity, and conversion essentially equates to cultural assimilation to the people in question. The notion of gentiles ("nations") in Judaism reflect this state of affairs, the implicit assumption that each nation will have its own religionItalic text. Historical examples include Germanic polytheism, Celtic polytheism, Slavic polytheism and pre-Hellenistic Greek religion Thracian peltast, fifth to fourth century BC. Thracian Roman era heros (Sabazius) stele. ... The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Goy is a Hebrew word meaning nation or people. The first use of Goy (plural, Goyim) in the Hebrew Bible is in Genesis 10:1, in reference to non-Israelite nations. ... Germanic paganism refers to the religion of the Germanic nations preceding Christianization. ... Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts until the Christianization of Celtic-speaking lands. ... Slavic mythology and Slavic paganism evolved over more than 3,000 years. ... Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Greece in form of cult practices, thus the practical counterpart of Greek mythology. ...

Contrasted to this are imperial cult that are defined by political influence detached from ethnicity. An Imperial cult is a cult were an Emperor, or a dynasty of emperors, are worshipped as (semi-)gods or deities Ancient Rome In the Roman Empire the Imperial cult was the worship of the Roman emperor as a god. ...

With the rise of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, ethnic religions came to be marginalized as "leftover" traditions in rural areas, referred to as paganism or shirk (idolatry). Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Look up pagan, heathen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Contemporary ethnic religions are Shinto of the Japanese people, Judaism of the Jewish people (see: Who is a Jew?), and ethnocentric currents of Hinduism (Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?) or Buddhism (e.g. Tibetan Buddhism). Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Languages Japanese Religions Shinto, Buddhism, large secular groups      The Japanese people ) is the ethnic group that identifies as Japanese by culture and/or ancestry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or a member of the Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Who is a Jew? (‎) is a commonly considered question that addresses the question of Jewish identity. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...

Over time, even revealed religion will assume local traits and in a sense will revert to an ethnic religion. This has notably happened in the course of the History of Christianity, which saw the emergence of national churches with "ethnic flavours" such as Germanic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Greek, Russian and others. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Church historian redirects here. ... The term national church is usually a reference to a church organization in Christianity that claims pastoral jurisdiction over a nation. ...

Folk religion

The term is also applied to the blending of folk practice with those of major religions, so that folk practices amongst people in Christian countries are called "folk Christianity," in Islamic countries "folk Islam", and so on. The term is also used, especially by the clergy of the faiths involved, to describe the desire of people who otherwise infrequently attend religious worship, do not belong to a church or similar religious society, and who have not made a formal profession of faith in a particular creed, to have religious weddings or funerals, or (among Christians) to have their children baptised. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Folk Christianity refers to a mix of animism and Christian beliefs, Roman Catholic, Protestant or both. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation, in addition to the formally stated creeds and beliefs of a codified major religion. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Taken during a Hindu prayer ceremony on the eve of Diwali. ... For the architectural structure, see Church (building). ... Faith has two general implications which can be implied either exclusively or mutually; To Trust: Believing a certain variable will act a specific way despite the potential influence of known or unknown change. ... A creed is a statement or confession of belief — usually religious belief — or faith. ... Nuptial is the adjective of wedding. It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ...

Folk religion can also be thought of as the practice of religion by lay people outside of the control of clergy or the supervision of theologians (e.g. outside of organized religion -- popular culture). There is occasionally tension between the practice of folk religion and the formally taught doctrines and teachings of a faith. For "folk religion" to be a meaningful category, there must be an institutional religion with a traditional teaching or professional clergy to contrast it against; in cultures that lack these things, it is difficult to speak of folk religion as a meaningful category. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Popular culture, sometimes abbreviated to pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ...

Folk religion answers human needs for reassurance in times of trouble, and many of its rituals are aimed at mundane goals like seeking healing or averting misfortune. Many elements of folk religion stem from animistic or fetishistic practices, which is almost inevitable given its mundane goals and ritualistic nature. Folk religion also often aims at divination to foresee the future. The line is often blurry between the practice of folk religion and the practice of magic: see magic and religion. A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... Faith healing, also called divine healing or spiritual healing, is the use of spiritual means in treating disease, It is purportedly a supernatural manifestation that brings healing and deliverance from all kinds of diseases whether organic, functional, or psychological. ... The term Animism is derived from the Latin anima, meaning soul.[1][2] In its most general sense, animism is simply the belief in souls. ... A fetish (from French fétiche; from Portuguese feitiço; from Latin facticius, artificial and facere, to make) is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular a man-made object that has power over others. ... For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ... A belief in magic as a means of influencing the world seems to have been common in all cultures. ...

Examples

• "superstition"; rituals to ward off the Evil Eye, curses, demons, witchcraft etc.
• amulets, protective qualities ascribed to religious objects like the Bible or a crucifix; hex signs
• blessing of animals and crops (fertility rites), food, vehicles, buildings etc.
• belief in traditional systems of magic (hoodoo, voodoo, pow-wow, Palo Monte and Santería)
• ancestor worship
• animism, or belief in spiritual beings associated with landscape or specific human domains (saints, demons, angels; in Christianity in particular various local forms of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... John Phillip, The Evil Eye (1859), a self-portrait depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gypsy who thinks she is being given the evil eye The evil eye is a widely distributed element of folklore, in which it is believed that the envy elicited by the good luck of fortunate... Look up Curse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... “Witch” redirects here. ... An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire An amulet (from Latin amuletum, meaning A means of protection) or a talisman (from Arabic tilasm, ultimately from Greek telesma or from the Greek word talein wich means to initiate into the mysteries. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... The Crucifix, a cross with corpus, a symbol used in Catholicism in contrast with some other Christian communions, which use only a cross. ... Hex signs are a form of folk art, thought by some to be of a talismanic nature, found in the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. ... A blessing (from to bless, Old English bleodsian or bletsian) originally meant sprinkling with blood during the pagan sacrifices, the Blóts (reference: AHD). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Agriculture (encompassing farming, grazing, and the tending of orchards, vineyards and timberland) is the production of food, feed, fiber and other goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. ... Fertility rites are religious rituals that reenact, either actually or symbolically, sexual acts and/or reproductive processes. ... Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Voodoo (Vodou, Vodoun, Vudu, or Vudun in Benin, Togo, southeastern Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal; also Vodou in Haiti) is a name attributed to a traditionally uten West African spiritual system of faith and ritual practices. ... Pow-wow is a system of American folk religion and magic associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. ... Palo Monte, or Regla de Palo Monte, is one of the main currents in Cuban popular religion. ... For other uses, see Santeria (disambiguation). ... Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ... The term Animism is derived from the Latin anima, meaning soul.[1][2] In its most general sense, animism is simply the belief in souls. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are often depicted as having halos. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... The Archangel Michael by Guido Reni wears a late Roman military outfit in this 17th century depiction An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ... “Our Lady” redirects here. ...

Literature

• Thomas, Keith, Religion and the Decline of Magic. Studies in popular beliefs in sixteenth and seventeenth century England, London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson (1971).

See also

• belief
• civil religion
• folklore
• folk medicine
• Magick
• Paganism
• superstition

regional

• Deep England
• Pre-Christian Alpine traditions
• Ryukyuan religion
• Noaidi
• Shamanism in Siberia
• Shamanism among Eskimo peoples
• Korean shamanism

This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A traditional healer in Côte dIvoire Folk medicine refers collectively to procedures traditionally used for treatment of illness and injury, aid to childbirth, and maintenance of wellness. ... This article refers to the magical system of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. ... Look up pagan, heathen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... The term Merry England, or in more jocular, half-timbered spelling Merrie England, refers to a semi-mythological, idyllic, and pastoral way of life that the lucky inhabitants of England allegedly enjoyed at some poorly-defined point between the Middle Ages and the completion of the Industrial Revolution. ... Procession in Klagenfurt The central and eastern Alps of Europe are rich in traditions dating back to pre-Christian (pagan) times, with surviving elements amalgamated from Germanic, Gaulish (Gallo-Roman) and Raetian culture. ... Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Uchinanchu people of Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands. ... A Noaidi, Noaide or Noaydde [noaydeh] was a shaman of the Sami people in the Nordic countries representing an indigenous nature religion. ... Siberia is regarded as the locus classicus of shamanism [1]. It is inhabited by many different people. ... Yupik shaman exorcising evil spirits from a sick boy. ... There are a number of shamanistic practices that are developed in Korea, where the role of a shaman is most frequently taken by women. ...

External links

• Folk Christianity in the Philippines
• Folk Islam in Somalia
• Introduction to Folk Religion
• Traditions Magazine
• Myths over Miami: A account of the folk religion of children living in homeless shelters in Miami, circa 1997.