Sacred time is described in this entry as time that is socially imagined, imposed, and practiced in keeping with a religion's symbols and stories. Although anthropologists may differ on definitions and theories about what constitutes sacred time, the fact that time is universally experienced has intrigued scholars. When time is examined historically and currently, there arise several common themes about how and when it becomes sacred or, indeed, if it has always been sacred. Time that is conceived in terms of its duration produces ideas about eternity and infinity; time that is regulated in order to commemorate deities and holy events structures daily, weekly, and annual activities; time that is ordered to produce individual and social transformations is known as ritual.