A Ritual is a custom which is done by bhakts..these contain both good bad or also real fake...as many of these r performed for our benifit ,devoting to God and also benefit of nature...eg YAGA .as this is we r devoting to GOD + is also good for nature bcoz of the gas released is very beneficial to our nature...and also there r opposite like a ritual which is not now but was in and before the British period which us the sati...so leave it its not as benefucury as uts not performed now..but the other which us there from thousand years is to Kill Animals for devotion ....it's in both Hindu and Islam Religion as per my knowledge...it's one of the worst ritual as saud in ShreeGeeta ...ShriKrishn said in one of shlook "I don't want anyone to kill animals in devotion of me ,if this ritual is done by anyone ge /she wouldn't be ever in his Sharan and would a get the worst death ever" ..Rituals are thereby the actions done by both bhakts and andhbhakts no doubt....in simple words and as per Hindu Puranas it's a actions done I devotion of our diety...and also this has become a trade since a century....many of the ppl misguided the ppl and force them to do nonsense rituals...bcoz of which many of ppl don't believe in Mythology.