How would it be if there were no rituals existing around the world?

Being born in a strict catholic household, waking up for church on a Sunday morning after having spent Saturday night out would be a task. One day, to get out of going to church, I told my mom I didn’t believe in God, and hence going to church was not a thing for me. To this, my mom replied, "don’t say this, it is this faith that will pull you up when you are at your lowest and will guide you. You may not understand this now, and that’s ok." I went to church that Sunday anyway, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I didn’t forget what my mom said to me that day.

I keep thinking, how did rituals develop? And not just religious rituals, any rituals for that matter. Somewhere, years ago, someone did something and liked it, and kept doing it for years and we call them rituals. The person who did it for the first time may have died after some years, then his friends/families might have continued it as his memory. Continuing that ritual might give them peace. Maybe this is how rituals, ceremonies were born. Later, the friends and family of the late person were identified by the rituals they did, and thus, rituals became their identity.

What I gave above was an imaginary example. Let me give you a smaller, personal example of a ritual being formed. One day, I went for a sleepover with my childhood friends, the next morning, we made pancakes for breakfast. The next time we had a sleepover, one friend recalled how we made pancakes the last time and we made them again this time. The third time, we didn’t think much while making pancakes. And then, whenever we had a sleepover, we made pancakes the next day for breakfast. We called it our own ritual. Now, since I live in another country, and when the other two of my friends get together, they make pancakes. They say it reminds them of the fun times we had.

Every religion has a different ritual and different ceremonies when it comes to festivals. When two people of different religion are getting married, there is a mix of different rituals and ceremonies. This gives a sense of identity to everyone. When someone from the outside witnesses such marriages, they might question on why are there so many ceremonies. And a relative of the couple might answer, oh the girl is from Gujrat, and the boy is from Goa. They are reminded of the rich heritage of these religions.
I stay in New York, but sometimes and wear a sari to work. I am reminded of my culture. A stranger looking at me might figure out that I am an Indian. It gives me a sense of identity, and comfort in a lonely city where I’m alone and away from home.

I am being constantly reminded of how important the rituals are for our identity. And I constantly wonder, how would it be if there were no rituals existing around the world?

Well, I think if there were no rituals, we’d make some on our own. Even if it is a small one, like the pancakes ritual I mentioned earlier. Having a sense of identity, a sense of belongingness is an important aspect of human existence, especially while living alone or in a foreign land. And having a ritual will give us that identity that we crave for.