All ritual activity is created by man, and so too are the collectively ascribed meaning/s of such ritual activity - be it a ritual which has been performed for a thousand years or more or something in the line of a completely 'artificially' generated piece of village 'folklore' such as Derren Brown's "Lucky Dog" http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/local/derren_brown_the_butcher_and_the_so_called_lucky_dog_con_trick_1_3959655
Such Man-made meaning is like a human glue which helps to forge a sense of a cohearent narrative, both individually and socially/collectively. I don't think there's anything artificial about any of these contemporary/folk social rituals. I like the random yet purposeful borrowings from the past, it's all just a part of people doing what they've always done IMO.