REVITALIZATION OR CONTINUITY IN EUROPEAN RITUAL - THE CASE OF SAN-BESSU

This article argues against Boissevain's thesis that many European rit uals have recently undergone revitalization after a post-war period of deritualization. We analyse, as a counter-example to Boissevain's the sis, a ritual which has displayed a remarkable degree of continuity ov er the last eighty years. We suggest that this counter-example is not an isolated one, and that Boissevain's position only appears convincin g because it relies on excessively limiting notions, ultimately derive d from Durkheim, of ritual and deritualization.