ceremonialism

Ceremonialism, when its emphasis is upon feasting, exchange, and display, may be secular, as is the case in much of Melanesia and New Guinea; or, if religious, it may be associated with totemic or ancestral cults, as in Australia or Africa, the expressive emphasis…

…Australian religions is an elaborate ceremonialism not usually found in nomadic societies. Ceremonialism generally can be treated as an emphasis in the area of expressive behaviour, usually consistent with the animistic worldview and unlikely to displace it. While it is an emphasis most common among agriculturists, its presence among nomads…