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Facts and Figures - Water and Religions
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Water plays a central role in many religions and beliefs around the world. Source of life, it represents (re)birth. Water cleans the body, and by extension purifies it, and these two main qualities confer a highly symbolic – even sacred - status to water. Water is therefore a key element in ceremonies and religious rites.
BuddhismBuddhism was born in the 6th century before the common era from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. As his followers seek spiritual awakening through meditation and wisdom, rites are basically absent from this religion.
Water is, however, used in Buddhist funerals: it is poured to overflowing into a bowl placed before the monks and the dead body.
ChristianityWater is intrinsically linked to baptism, a public declaration of faith and a sign of welcome into the Christian church. When baptised, one is fully or partially immersed in water, or one’s head may simply be sprinkled with a few drops of water. The sacrament has its roots in the Gospel, wherein it is written that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. In baptism, water symbolizes purification, the rejection of original sin.
In the New Testament, the 'living water' or 'water of life' represents the spirit of God, that is, eternal life.
Hinduism | Funeral rites along the Ganges.
Photos courtesy of Water, the Drop of Life,
video produced by Swynk |
Water is imbued with powers of spiritual purification for Hindus, for whom morning cleansing with water is an everyday obligation. All temples are located near a water source, and followers must bathe before entering the temple. Many pilgrimage sites are found on river banks; sites where two, or even three, rivers converge are considered particularly sacred.
There are seven sacred rivers: the Ganges, and the Godavari, Kaveri, Narmada, Sarasvati, Sindhu and Yamuna Rivers. According to Hindu beliefs, those who bathe in the Ganges or who leave part of themselves (hair, bones of the dead) on the left bank of the river will reach Svarga, the paradise of Indra, storm god.
Funeral rites are always held near rivers; the son of the deceased pours water on the burning funeral pyre so that the soul cannot escape and return to Earth as a ghost. When the fire reaches the deceased’s skull, the mourners bathe and then go home. The ashes are collected three days after cremation, and several days later, are thrown into a holy river.
The myth of the Great Flood is contained in some Hindu scriptures, and tells the tale of how Manu, the first man, was rescued from the flood by a fish (the god Brahma), who lead him to the Himalayas until the waters receded.
Islam | Ablutions in a mosque in Port-Louis,
Mauritius. © UNESCO, J. Foy |
For Muslims, water serves above and beyond all for purification. There are three sorts of ablutions:
- The first and most important involves washing the whole body; it is obligatory after sex, and recommended before the Friday prayers and before touching the Koran.
- Before each of the five daily prayers, Muslims must bathe their head, wash their hands, forearms and feet. All mosques provide a water source, usually a fountain, for this ablution.
- When water is scarce, followers of Islam use sand to cleanse themselves; this is the third form of ablution.
JudaismJews use water for ritual cleansing to restore or maintain a state of purity. Hand-washing before and after meals is obligatory.
Although ritual baths, or mikveh, were once extremely important in Jewish communities, they are less so now; they remain, however, compulsory for converts. Men attend mikveh on Fridays and before large celebrations, women before their wedding, after giving birth and after menstruation.
The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells the story of Creation and of the Great Flood. To punish humans for their disobedience, God sent a torrential rain down upon the Earth, for forty days and forty nights: safe on an ark, Noah, his family, and two of each species of animal alone were spared. The flood washed away the sins of the world so that it could be reborn, free from impurity.
Shinto | Shinto ceremony, Japan.
Photos courtesy of Water, the Drop of Life,
video produced by Swynk |
Shinto is Japan’s indigenous religion and is based on the veneration of the kami, innumerable deities believed to inhabit nature. Worship of the kami must always begin by a ritual of purification with water. This act restores order and balance between nature, humans and the deities.
Waterfalls are considered sacred in Shinto. |
ZoroastrianismFounded by Zarathushtra, this dualist religion is based on the opposition of good and evil. When the world was created, the Evil Spirit attacked the Earth and turned some of its water salty. Purity and pollution are central to zoroastrian belief: pollution is considered evil, and clean water, sacred. It is forbidden to spit, urinate or wash one’s hands in rivers, for fear of blemishing the water’s sacredness. So as to conserve the purity of water, fire and earth, the dead cannot be immersed, cremated or buried.
Zoroastrianism also has a version of the great flood story.
Information based on:
The Water Page
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 Funeral rites at Varanasi
Millions from all over India come to Varanasi, the city of Death, to return their earthly remains to the Ganges, holiest of rivers. |
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