Sentence:  Through it, through what takes place, the <WSD>celebrants</WSD> try to obtain a result, to influence the course of the hoped for or dreaded events that either depend on the current dispositions of a divinity or obey gestures or words formerly taught or exercised by a divinity or an august ancestor. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A person who officiates at a religious ceremony, especially a marriage or the Eucharist.