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.
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
'das Ritual' and 'das Sakrament' can both belong to religious actions. A 'Ritual' is generally a fixed sequence of actions with special meaning. It can be religious, but it does not have to be. A 'Sakrament' is much more specific: it is a sacred act in Christianity, for example baptism or Communion. The words can be confused because a sacrament is always performed ritually as well. But not every ritual is a sacrament. For a general solemn act, 'Ritual' fits; for the special Christian act, 'Sakrament' fits.
In der Kirche empfing das Kind das Sakrament der Taufe.
In the church, the child received the sacrament of baptism.
Bei der Feier folgte die Gruppe einem alten Ritual.
At the celebration, the group followed an old ritual.