Worship is the act and result of veneration (worshipping, respecting someone or something as much as possible). The concept, which comes from the Latin term veneratĭo, is often used in the realm of religion.
For example: “The image will be exhibited in the town square for the veneration of the faithful”, “The veneration of this saint dates back several centuries”, “The Virgin Mary is the object of popular veneration in this city. Veneration is intended for deities and saints, but also for those objects that represent them or function as symbols (such as the cross). This attitude is expressed through rituals and ceremonies, such as processions or the act of kissing a sculpture.
In many corners of the planet, religious veneration is a fundamental part of the lives of many of its citizens. A good example of this can be Spain, where Holy Week is celebrated. The religious celebration is where the images are paraded daily through the streets of the cities so that the faithful can express their faith and the feeling they have towards these sculptures. However, this does not mean that religious veneration can be demonstrated through other activities, such as the kissing of hands and solemn triduums in honor of certain saints. Not to mention that there are also pilgrimages that aim to show veneration for an image. Thus, for example, although there are those who practice them simply as a hobby, there are many other people who do it to show their faith, ask Almighty God for help or clarify the penance they have to do after having promised it. The clearest example of this is the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. In addition to being religious, the idea of veneration is associated with idolatry and the feelings generated by popular figures. A rock band, in this sense, can generate veneration among young people: the group’s followers can spend several sleepless nights to get tickets for a show, wait for the musicians at the door of a hotel, tattoo the name of the band , etc. Currently we can see that one of the international artists who manages to arouse more veneration in the world is none other than the American Justin Bieber. And that, known for songs like “Baby” or “One Time”, generates a lot of controversy due to his inappropriate behavior. However, there are thousands of young people who idolize him, those who manage to spend a month camping outside the places where he will perform, tattooing his name somewhere on their body… “artistic veneration”, to name a few possibilities, when a certain sector of the society is very respectful of something or someone: “The producer has been revered by television for decades thanks to the immense number of programs he has created”, “The Minister of Economy enjoys economic veneration for the projects he announced months ago” .
