Editing Libation (section)

{{Short description|Ritual offering}}
{{Distinguish|Libration}}
{{For|the album by Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars|Libation (album)}}
[[File:Бэликто.JPG|thumb|[[Buryat people|Buryat]] [[shaman]] performing a libation of [[milk]]]]

A '''libation''' is a [[ritual]] pouring of a liquid as an [[Sacrifice|offering]] to a [[deity]] or spirit, or in [[Veneration of the dead|memory of the dead]]. It was common in many [[religion]]s of [[Ancient history|antiquity]] and continues to be offered in cultures today.

Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine or other alcoholic drinks, olive oil, honey, and in [[India]], [[ghee]]. The vessels used in the ritual, including the [[patera]], often had a significant form which differentiated them from [[secular]] vessels. The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance, such as an [[altar]], or into the earth.  On the other hand, one or more libations began most meals and occasions when wine was drunk in Greco-Roman and other ancient societies, mostly using normal cups or jugs.