The World Cup’s Strangest Rituals Reveal How Belonging Really Works

In TIME, BGG’s Julia Dhar explores the shared identity and sense of belonging that form through spontaneous social rituals, such as the Norwegian “Viking Row” tradition that delighted World Cup fans around the world. Part of the magic is that anyone can participate in and co-create them, Dhar explains, offering a timely cure to the “loneliness epidemic” that some communities may be facing. “At a time when the lack of belonging has become one of the dominant anxieties of public life, shared rituals are more than merely charming,” she adds.