sacrament
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sacrament
In Christianity, a sacred ritual act that is considered the visible sign of an invisible divine grace. The most important sacraments include baptism and Communion.
In der katholischen Kirche gibt es sieben Sakramente.
In the Catholic Church, there are seven sacraments.
sacrament
In a figurative, often ironic sense, something that is sacred and untouchable to a person or is celebrated as a solemn act.
Für meinen Großvater war das sonntägliche Skatspiel ein heiliges Sakrament.
For my grandfather, the Sunday game of skat was a sacred sacrament.
In a religious context, a sacrament is not simply 'gemacht' (done). A priest 'spendet' (administers) the sacrament, and a believer 'empfängt' (receives) it. These verbs are typical and sound natural.
Das Kind empfing das Sakrament der Taufe.
The child received the sacrament of baptism.
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that it refers to an everyday, non-religious action that is nevertheless treated with great seriousness or as a fixed ritual. There is often a slight hint of irony.
Das Einparken seines Oldtimers ist für ihn jedes Mal ein heiliges Sakrament.
Parking his vintage car is a sacred sacrament for him every time.
Often the specific sacrament in question is named directly. People then speak of the 'Sakrament der Taufe' (sacrament of baptism), 'der Ehe' (of marriage), or 'der Beichte' (of confession).
Das Paar bereitete sich auf das Sakrament der Ehe vor.
The couple prepared for the sacrament of marriage.
ritual
Ritual is the general term for an established action with symbolic meaning, including in a religious context. Sakrament, by contrast, specifically refers in Christianity to a sacred ritual act that is a sign of divine grace. Therefore, not every Christian ritual is a sacrament.
Bei der Taufe empfängt das Kind ein Sakrament der christlichen Kirche.
At the baptism, the child receives a sacrament of the Christian church.
Das gemeinsame Entzünden der Kerzen ist ein religiöses Ritual der Gemeinde.
Lighting the candles together is a religious ritual of the congregation.
