The first volume of City Rituals addresses ritual practices and public events (such as seasonal festivals and traditions, national holidays and commemorations, and religious feasts) that structure and animate the life of urban residents in all the corners of the world, from the United States, to the various countries in Europe, and the Philippines.

Drawing on one, or more examples, the authors highlight their connection with local traditions and history, describe their evolution over time, and draw attention to more recent trends, due to globalization. The cases brought forward show the resilience of city rituals, their two-folded ability to be factors of stability as well as factors of change, to ground communities, while at the same time bringing the flexibility needed to pushes them forward.

Despite the inherent controversies around the introduction of new practices, the city rituals described in this volume are factors of cohesion and unity that bring people together, in the joy of shared experiences.

The Ritual Year Working Group is one of the oldest working groups of the International Society of Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF). Established in 2004, it reunites around one hundred official members from all over the world, working on various topics in relation to rituals within the general framework of the calendric year.