What Does RITUAL Mean to You?
We asked our community what ritual or tradition brings the people they love closer together. Here are some of the beautiful stories they shared, and how they reminded us that connection looks different for everyone but it always finds a way.
RITUAL
RITUAL is a handcrafted game built for the moments that matter. The ones around a long table with people you love, where the conversation goes somewhere unexpected and you end up laughing until your sides hurt or saying something you've never said out loud before. It started as a birthday dinner, grew through countless gatherings, and became something we genuinely believe the world needs more of right now. A reason to slow down, sit together, and actually be present with each other.
RITUAL: A new experience from The Skin Deep
The Contest
We recently gave away two RITUAL boxes to our community, and to enter, we asked one question: what ritual or tradition brings the people you love closer together? What makes it meaningful?
We didn't know what to expect, but what came back was something really special. People from different cities, different backgrounds, different lives, all sharing the traditions they hold close. Some were loud and full of food and family, some were quiet and intentional, some were built around grief and others around joy, but every single one had the same thing at the center: a choice to show up for each other, again and again.
Here are some of the stories that stayed with us.
Stories From Our Community
Rituals for grief
Alexis from Los Angeles is a death care professional and grief ritualist. At the end of each year, she gathers her family for a release ritual. Fire, water, soil. The element changes depending on where they are, but the intention stays the same: let go of what's heavy and make room for what's next. She also uses it in the grief circles and events she hosts, creating space for others to move through loss in a way that feels intentional and healing. Thirteen years of doing this work and she still believes in it completely.
"I started a tradition with my family at the end of the year for things that we are releasing before heading into the new year. If we are traveling and somewhere cold, we do a fire release using the fire pit and paper. If we are home, I try to do a water release using rice paper and water. Sometimes during the Spring, I will do a soil release where we plant things that we want to bury but also plant seeds for what we want to see grow." - Alexis.
The giving bowl
Kayla from Philly brought us something we hadn't heard before. The giving bowl. Three slips of paper each. A gift, something you wish to offer. An affirmation, something you see and appreciate in someone else. And a question, something you're curious about or longing to understand more deeply. You put them in, you receive what comes back. She uses it with her therapy groups, her family, her community, and what makes it work is exactly what she said about it.
"Each person is invited to contribute three slips of paper to the bowl: a gift, an affirmation, and a question. The bowl is passed, and each person receives what emerges, often unexpectedly, often exactly what they needed." - Kayla.
Frijolada
Alexandra from Dallas grew up with Frijolada. A Colombian bean stew that is honestly way more than a meal. About an hour before it starts, the doorbell is already ringing. 20 plus people through the door, greeting loudly, kissing cheeks. The kitchen alive with chicharrón and plantains frying, sausage and arepas with cheese. And then everyone scrambles for a spot at the table. After the meal, the extra table gets stowed, chairs get pulled up, someone puts music on, and next thing you know people are up dancing or seated singing and swaying. Six hours pass without anyone noticing.
"Packed in the living room, everyone starts with their beverage of choice. The air is full of laughter. The kitchen is alive, chicharrón and plantains being fried up. And then it's time. The room goes silent, minus the clinking of silverware on plates as everyone digs in."
Thank you!
To everyone who shared a piece of their rituals with us, thank you. We are so grateful to have a community like this, one that shows up and is willing to share what they hold most dear. It reminded us not only of the strength of our community, but also that connection is everywhere: in the fire, in the food, and in the decision to sit down together and actually be present.
And if you haven't shared your story yet, don't worry. We have two more RITUAL boxes to give away this year during our community celebration in August. Follow us on social media and keep an eye out for the next round!
With love,
Luana Costa
The Skin Deep Head of Social Media & Community
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