I feel this comment...

But if I had to give you a plausible answer I would say as a mass demoralization effort. Think about how many people invested their hopes in this guy, hundreds of millions if not over a billion around the world, and they just had the physical, moral, and psycho-spiritual-energetic rug pulled out from under them.

If {they} are into rituals surely this was a massive one. But until the 20th I remain optimistic. No matter what happens after that everyone is going to be doing some serious re-evaluations.