RITUAL OF FREEMASONRY

Freemasonry, the teachings and practices of the fraternal (men-only) order of Free and Accepted Masons, the largest worldwide secret society—an oath-bound society, often devoted to fellowship, moral discipline, and mutual assistance, that conceals at least some of its rituals, customs, or activities from the public (secret societies do not necessarily conceal their membership or existence). Spread by the advance of the British Empire, Freemasonry remains most popular in the British Isles and in other countries originally within the empire.