Ceremonies are special occasions that mark particular social, religious, or historical moments in a society's experience. In Africa, ceremonies play an important role in every aspect of a people's social life. One finds that ceremonies inaugurate an infant's entry into life, and from that moment forward the individual as a part of a group is moved from one ceremony to another in the communal experience.

There are three types of ceremonies: transitions, officials, and cultural. All of these ceremonies are infused with religious content. In the case of transitions, the individual is a special participant or observer in the collective recognition of birth, marriage, or death. When a child is born in African societies, the time must be marked by [Page 155]the community as a way ...