The phrase "annual ritual" refers to a tradition or event that happens once every year. It is something that people do regularly and is important to them. Full definition
And, yes, it's important to have annual rituals around the holidays and vacation time. (verilymag.com)
Labour today launches its campaign for those elections with a blizzard of statistics and weblinks playing out the familiar annual ritual of showing that Labour councils are better value than Tory ones. (labour-uncut.co.uk)