an act with special clothes, actions etc, such as a wedding, funeral, the opening of a new public building etc
ritual; celebratory observation
Cases of word usage
1) to put oil or ointment on (a person) as a religious ceremony (anoint)
2) (an instance of) the Christian ceremony of touching a person with, or putting a person in, water, to show that he or she is accepted as a member of the church (baptism)
3) a ceremony of baptism or naming a child (christened)
4) a ceremony of crowning a king, queen or other sovereign ruler (coronation)
5) the Christian ceremony in which bread and wine are consecrated and taken (eucharist)
6) (religious ceremony of) burial or cremation of a dead person (funeral)
7) an official ceremony of investing a person with a rank, power etc (investiture)
8) the keeping or observing of a law, custom, festival etc; an act performed as part of a ceremony or as a sign of respect or worship (observance)
9) (an instance of) the ceremony of ordaining a priest or minister (ordination)
10) an official gathering of soldiers etc, especially for a ceremony (parade)