Editing Libation (section)

==Religious practice==
===Antiquity===
==== Ancient Sumer ====
The [[Sumer]]ian afterlife was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground.{{sfnm|1a1=Choksi|1y=2014|2a1=Barret|2y=2007}} This bleak domain was known as [[Kur]],{{sfnm|1a1=Choksi|1y=2014|2a1=Black|2a2=Green|2y=1992|2p=114|3a1=Nemet-Nejat|3y=1998|3p=184}} where the souls were believed to eat nothing but dry [[dust]]{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=58}} and family members of the deceased would ritually pour libations into the grave through a clay pipe, thereby allowing the dead to drink.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=58}}
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=
|lines=
|File:Relief libation Louvre AO276.jpg|[[Relief]] of libation to a vegetation goddess (ca. 2500 BCE) found in ancient [[Girsu]]
|File:Orthostat Malatya A-3, 01.jpg|Hittite king offering libation to a [[Hittite mythology and religion|Storm god]], [[orthostat]] from [[Malatya]] (12th century BCE)
|File:Palmyrenian relief Louvre AO2200.jpg|Syrian priest of [[Palmyra]] holding a libation vessel and an incense box (176 AD)
}}

==== Ancient Egypt ====
Libation was part of [[ancient Egyptian]] society where it was a drink offering to honor and please the various divinities, sacred ancestors, humans present and humans who are alive but not physically present, as well as the environment.<ref name="auto3">{{cite book |last1=Nehusi |first1=Kimani S.K. |title=Libation. An Afrikan Ritual of Heritage in the Circle of Life |date=2016 |publisher=University Press of America |isbn=978-0-7618-6710-4 |page=14 |language=en }}</ref> It is suggested that libation originated somewhere in the upper Nile Valley and spread out to other regions of Africa and the world.<ref name="auto">Delia, 1992, pp. 181-190{{full citation needed|date=March 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite book |last=James |first=George G. M. |year=1954 |title=Stolen Legacy |place=New York |publisher=Philosophical Library}}</ref> According to [[Ayi Kwei Armah]], "[t]his legend explains the rise of a propitiatory custom found everywhere on the African continent: libation, the pouring of alcohol or other drinks as offerings to ancestors and divinities."<ref name="auto2">{{cite book |last=Armah |first=Ayi Kwei |year=2006 |title=The Eloquence of the Scribes: a memoir on the sources and resources of African literature |place=Popenguine, Senegal |publisher=Per Ankh |page=207}}</ref>

Milk libations for [[Osiris]] may have originated at [[Philae temple complex|Philae]] and spread southwards into [[Meroë|Meroe]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yellin |first=Janice W. |title=Abaton-style milk libation at Meroe |url=https://www.academia.edu/download/32296635/Yellin__Abaton-Style_Milk_Libation_at_Meroe__Meroitica_6.pdf |journal=Meroitic Studies}}</ref> It is also possible the reverse occurred; as milk libation was already known to Nubians, they may have introduced it to Philae.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Ashby |first=Solange |title=Milk Libations for Osiris Nubian Piety at Philae |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/705360 |journal=Near Eastern Archaeology|date=December 2019 |volume=82 |issue=4 |pages=200–209 |doi=10.1086/705360 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=
|lines=|File:Maler der Grabkammer des Userhêt (III) 004.jpg|Egyptian tomb painting of a mortuary priest offering libation (1298–1235 BCE)
|File:Stèle de la musicienne de Tefnout, Meretitef - Musée du Louvre Antiquités égyptiennes N 267 ; C 116.jpg|Libation on a musician's [[stele]] (332–284 BCE)
|File:Libation basin Louvre E25551 n01.jpg|Libation basin representing the flooding of the [[Nile]] (2nd–3rd century CE)
}}

==== Ancient Greece ====
[[File:Bell-krater sacrifice Pothos Painter Louvre G496.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Scene of sacrifice, with a libation poured from a jug ([[Pothos Painter]], [[Attic red-figure vase|Attic red-figure]] [[krater]], 430–420 BCE)]]
Libation ({{Langx|grc|σπονδή|}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|spondȇ}}, {{IPA|grc|spondɛ&#780;ː|}}) was a central and vital aspect of [[ancient Greek religion]], and one of the simplest and most common forms of religious practice.{{sfn|Zaidman|Schmitt Pantel|1992|p=28}} It is one of the basic religious acts that define piety in ancient Greece, dating back to the [[Bronze Age Greece|Bronze Age]] and even [[prehistoric Greece]].{{sfn|Burkert|1985|pp=70, 73}} Libations were a part of daily life, and the pious might perform them every day in the morning and evening, as well as to begin meals.<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''Works and Days'' 724–726.</ref>{{sfn|Zaidman|Schmitt Pantel|1992|p=39}} A libation most often consisted of mixed wine and water, but could also be unmixed wine, honey, oil, water, or milk.{{sfnm|1a1=Zaidman|1a2=Schmitt Pantel|1y=1992|1p=40|2a1=Burkert|2y=1985|2pp=72–73}}

The typical form of libation, {{Lang|grc-Latn|spondȇ}}'','' is the ritualized pouring of wine from a jug or bowl held in the hand. The most common ritual was to pour the liquid from an ''[[Oenochoe|oinochoē]]'' (wine jug) into a ''[[Phiale (libation vessel)|phiale]]'', a shallow bowl designed for the purpose. After wine was poured from the phiale, the remainder of the oinochoē's contents was drunk by the celebrant.{{sfn|Zaidman|Schmitt Pantel|1992|p=40}} A libation is poured any time wine is to be drunk, a practice that is recorded as early as the [[Homeric epics]]. The etiquette of the [[symposium]] required that when the first bowl ''([[krater]])'' of wine was served, a libation was made to [[Zeus]] and the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian gods]]. [[Greek hero cult|Heroes]] received a libation from the second krater served, and {{Lang|grc-Latn|Zeús Téleios}} ({{Lang|grc|Ζεύς Tέλειος}}, <small>lit.</small> "Zeus who Finishes") from the third, which was supposed to be the last. An alternative was to offer a libation from the first bowl to the [[Agathos Daimon]] and from the third bowl to [[Hermes]]. An individual at the symposium could also make an invocation of and libation to a god of his choice.

Libation generally accompanied prayer.{{sfn|Burkert|1985|pp=70–71}} The Greeks stood when they prayed, either with their arms uplifted, or in the act of libation with the right arm extended to hold the phiale.<ref>{{cite book |first=William D. |last=Furley |chapter=Prayers and Hymns |title=A Companion to Greek Religion |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2010 |page=127}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Jan N. |last=Bremmer |chapter=Greek Normative Animal Sacrifice |title=A Companion to Greek Religion |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2010 |page=138}}</ref>

[[File:Omphalos pushkin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Apollo]] pouring a libation from a ''[[Phiale (libation vessel)|phiale]]'' onto the [[omphalos]], with his sister [[Artemis]] attending; a [[bucranium]] hangs above]]
In conducting [[animal sacrifice]], wine is poured onto the offering as part of its ritual slaughter and preparation, and then afterwards onto the ash and flames.{{sfnm|1a1=Zaidman|1a2=Schmitt Pantel|1y=1992|1p=36|2a1=Burkert|2y=1985|2p=71}} This scene is commonly depicted in [[ancient Greek art|Greek art]], which also often shows sacrificers or the gods themselves holding the ''phiale''.{{sfn|Burkert|1985|p=71}}

The Greek verb ''{{lang|grc-Latn|spéndō}}'' ({{lang|grc|σπένδω}}), "pour a libation", also "conclude a pact", derives from the [[Indo-European root]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|spend-}}, "make an offering, perform a rite, engage oneself by a ritual act". The noun is ''{{Lang|grc-Latn|spondȇ}} (''plural ''{{Lang|grc-Latn|spondaí}})'', "libation." In the [[middle voice]], the verb means "enter into an agreement", in the sense that the gods are called to guarantee an action.<ref name="Adams-Mallory">{{harvnb|Adams|Mallory|1997|p=351}}: From the same root derives the Latin verb ''{{lang|la|spondeo}}'', "promise, vow".</ref> Blood sacrifice was performed to begin a war; ''{{Lang|grc-Latn|spondaí}}'' marked the conclusion of hostilities, and is often thus used in the sense of "armistice, treaty." The formula "We the [[polis]] have made libation" was a declaration of peace or the "Truce of God", which was observed also when the various city-states came together for the [[Panhellenic Games]], the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]], or the festivals of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]]: this form of libation is "bloodless, gentle, irrevocable, and final".{{sfn|Burkert|1985|p=71}}

Libations poured onto the earth are meant for the dead and for the [[chthonic]] gods. In the Book of the Dead in the ''[[Odyssey]]'', [[Odysseus]] digs an offering pit around which he pours in order honey, wine, and water. For the form of libation called ''{{lang|grc-Latn|choē}}'' ({{Langx|grc|χεῦμα}}'', {{lang|grc-Latn|cheuma}}'', "that which is poured"; from Proto-Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|gʰeu-}}),<ref name="Adams-Mallory"/> a larger vessel is tipped over and emptied onto the ground for the chthonic gods, who may also receive ''spondai''.{{sfn|Burkert|1985|p=70}} Heroes, who were divinized mortals, might receive blood libations if they had participated in the bloodshed of war, as for instance [[Brasidas]] the [[Sparta]]n.<ref>Gunnel Ekroth, "Heroes and Hero-Cult," in ''A Companion to Greek Religion'', p. 107.</ref> In rituals of caring for the dead at their tombs, libations would include milk and honey.<ref>D. Felton, "The Dead," in ''A Companion to Greek Religion,'' p. 88.</ref>

''[[Oresteia#The Libation Bearers|The Libation Bearers]]'' is the English title of the center [[Greek tragedy|tragedy]] from the ''[[Oresteia|Orestes Trilogy]]'' of [[Aeschylus]], in reference to the offerings [[Electra]] brings to the tomb of her dead father [[Agamemnon]].{{sfn|Burkert|1985|p=71}} [[Sophocles]] gives one of the most detailed descriptions of libation in [[ancient Greek literature|Greek literature]] in ''[[Oedipus at Colonus]]'', performed as atonement in the [[sacred grove|grove]] of the [[Erinyes|Eumenides]]:

<blockquote>
First, water is fetched from a freshly flowing spring; cauldrons which stand in the sanctuary are garlanded with wool and filled with water and honey; turning towards the east, the sacrificer tips the vessels towards the west; the olive branches which he has been holding in his hand he now strews on the ground at the place where the earth has drunk in the libation; and with a silent prayer he departs, not looking back.{{sfn|Burkert|1985|p=72}}</blockquote>

[[Hero of Alexandria]] described a mechanism for automating the process by using altar fires to force oil from the cups of two statues.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}}

====Ancient Rome====
[[File:RMW - Opfernder Togatus.jpg|thumb|Roman bronze statuette of a priest, his [[capite velato|head ritually covered]], extending a [[patera]] in a gesture of libation, 2nd-3rd century CE.]]

In [[Religion in ancient Rome|ancient Roman religion]], the libation was a religious act in the form of a liquid offering, most often unmixed wine and perfumed oil.{{sfn|Scheid|2007|p=269}} The [[List of Roman deities|Roman god]] ''Liber Pater'' ("Father [[Liber]]"), later identified with the Greek [[Dionysus]] or [[Bacchus]], was the divinity of ''libamina'', "libations," and ''liba'', sacrificial cakes drizzled with honey.<ref>[[Isidore of Seville]], ''Etymologies'' 6.19.32.</ref><ref name="Adams-Mallory"/><ref>Robert Turcan, ''The Gods of Ancient Rome'' (Routledge, 2001; originally published in French 1998), p. 66.</ref>

In Roman art, the libation is shown performed at a ''mensa'' (sacrificial meal table), or [[sacrificial tripod|tripod]]. It was the simplest form of [[sacrifice]], and could be a sufficient offering by itself.{{sfn|Moede|2007|pp=165, 168}} The introductory rite ''({{lang|la|praefatio}})'' to an animal sacrifice included an incense and wine libation onto a burning altar.{{sfn|Moede|2007|pp=165, 168}}<ref>Nicole Belayche, "Religious Actors in Daily Life: Practices and Related Beliefs," in ''A Companion to Roman Religion'', p. 280.</ref> Both [[Roman emperor|emperors]] and divinities are frequently depicted, especially on coins, pouring libations.<ref>Jonathan Williams, "Religion and Roman Coins," in ''A Companion to Roman Religion'', pp. 153–154.</ref> Scenes of libation commonly signify the quality of ''{{lang|la|[[pietas]]}}'', religious duty or reverence.{{sfn|Scheid|2007|p=265}}

The libation was part of [[Roman funerals and burial|Roman funeral rites]], and may have been the only sacrificial offering at humble funerals.{{sfn|Scheid|2007|pp=270–271}} Libations were poured in rituals of caring for the dead (see {{lang|la|[[Parentalia]]}} and {{lang|la|[[Caristia]]}}), and some tombs were equipped with tubes through which the offerings could be directed to the underground dead.<ref>Nicola Denzey Lewis, entry on "Catacombs," ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome'' (Oxford University Press, 2010), vol. 1, p. 58; John R. Clarke, ''Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C.–A.D. 315'' (University of California Press, 2003), p. 197.</ref>

Milk was unusual as a libation at Rome, but was regularly offered to a few deities, particularly those of an archaic nature<ref>Such as [[Epithets of Jupiter#Iuppiter Latiaris|Jupiter Latiaris]] and [[Pales]].</ref> or those for whom it was a natural complement, such as {{lang|la|[[Rumina]]}}, a [[List of Roman birth and childhood deities|goddess of birth and childrearing]] who promoted the flow of breast milk, and Cunina, a [[tutelary deity|tutelary]] of the cradle.<ref>Hendrik H.J. Brouwer, ''Bona Dea: The Sources and a Description of the Cult'' (Brill, 1989), pp. 328–329.</ref> It was offered also to Mercurius Sobrius (the "sober" [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]), whose cult is well attested in [[Africa (Roman province)|Roman Africa]] and may have been imported to the city of Rome by an African community.<ref>[[Robert E.A. Palmer]], ''Rome and Carthage at Peace'' (Franz Steiner, 1997), pp. 80–81, 86–88.</ref>

==== Ancient Judaism ====
{{main|Drink offering}}
Libations were part of ancient [[Judaism]] and are mentioned in the [[Bible]]:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bar |first1=Shaul |title=A Nation Is Born: The Jacob Story |date=2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-4982-3935-6 |page=53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CPlJDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |access-date=5 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
{{blockquote|And Jacob set up a Pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a Pillar of Stone; and he poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.|[[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 35:14}}

In [[Isaiah 53]]:12, [[Isaiah]] uses libation as a [[metaphor]] when describing the end of the [[Suffering Servant]] figure who "poured out his life unto death".

Libations of wine were offered at [[Temple in Jerusalem|the Jerusalem temple]], and a double libation of wine and water was offered during [[Sukkot]], possibly as a rain making ritual.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ניסוך המים a Sukkot Rain Making Ritual - TheTorah.com |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/water-libation-a-sukkot-rain-making-ritual |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=www.thetorah.com}}</ref>

Idolatrous libations were forbidden, along with the Torah's prohibitions on idolatrous sacrifice and worship generally.

==== Early Christianity ====
Libation is present and in [[Christianity]] appears in the [[New Testament]] and is the practice of [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus]] and other biblical figures.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 26:7, Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, Acts 2:33, Acts 10:45, Romans 5:5, Philippians 2:7, Philippians 2:17 - World English Bible|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026%3A7%2CMatthew%2026%3A28%2CMark%2014%3A24%2CLuke%2022%3A20%2CActs%202%3A33%2CActs%2010%3A45%2CRomans%205%3A5%2CPhilippians%202%3A7%2CPhilippians%202%3A17&version=WEB|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Bible Gateway|language=en}}</ref>

{{blockquote|In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. |Luke 22:20}}

This phrasing in Luke refers to the act of libation as the new covenant, to the blood of Jesus to be poured out in death.

{{blockquote|But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. |Philippians 2:17}}Libations were normally conducted in a spirit of peace, the Greek term for libation, σπονδή (''spondȇ''), became synonymous with "peace treaty".<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Cup of God's Wrath: Libation and Early Christian Meal Practice in Revelation | year=2018 | doi=10.3390/rel9120413 | doi-access=free | last1=Warren | first1=Meredith | journal=Religions | volume=9 | issue=12 | page=413 }}</ref>

===Africa===
Libation was part of [[ancient Egyptian]] society where it was a drink offering to honor and please the various divinities, sacred ancestors, humans present and humans who are alive but not physically present, as well as the environment.<ref name="auto3"/> It is suggested that libation originated somewhere in the upper Nile Valley and spread out to other regions of Africa and the world.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> According to [[Ayi Kwei Armah]], "[t]his legend explains the rise of a propitiatory custom found everywhere on the African continent: libation, the pouring of alcohol or other drinks as offerings to ancestors and divinities."<ref name="auto2"/>

[[File:Cichefstradi.jpg|thumb|Pouring of a libation at a ceremony in [[Bouaké]], [[Ivory Coast]]]]
In [[African cultures]] and [[African traditional religions]] the ritual of pouring libation is an essential ceremonial tradition and a way of giving homage to the ancestors. Ancestors are not only respected in such cultures, but also invited to participate in all public functions (as are also the gods and God). A prayer is offered in the form of libations, calling the ancestors to attend. The ritual is generally performed by an elder. Although water may be used, the drink is typically some traditional wine (e.g. [[palm wine]]), and the libation ritual is accompanied by an invitation (and invocation) to the ancestors, gods and God. In the Volta region of Ghana, water with a mixture of corn flour is also used to pour libation.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Libation is also commonly recognized as the break within the famous performance of [[Agbekor]], a ritual dance performed in West African cultures. It is also poured during traditional marriage ceremony, when a child is born and funeral ceremony. Traditional Festivals like [[Asafotu]] and [[Homowo]] of the [[Ga-Adangbe people|Ga-Adangbe]] people of Ghana and Togo. Also during installment of kings, queens, and chiefs, libation is poured.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

As recently as the 1920s, it was a custom in [[Lower Nubia]] for women to go to the graves of relatives every Friday and pour a libation of water into a red bowl at the head of the grave.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blackman |first=Aylward M. |date=1916 |title=Libations to the Dead in Modern Nubia and Ancient Egypt |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3853589 |journal=The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=31–34 |doi=10.2307/3853589 |jstor=3853589 |issn=0307-5133|url-access=subscription }}</ref> For widows, it was also once a custom for them to pour a libation of milk on their husband's grave the second day after his death.<ref name=":1" />

Similarly, it has been [[Copts|Coptic]] tradition for women to visit graves and make water libations, both in intervals during the first 40 days after a death, and during a few annual occasions, such as [[Nayrouz]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Naguib |first=Saphinaz-Amal |date=2008-04-18 |title=Survivals of Pharaonic Religious Practices in Contemporary Coptic Christianity. |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/27v9z5m8 |journal=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1}}</ref>

===Americas===
In the [[Quechua people|Quechua]] and [[Aymara people|Aymara]] cultures of the South American [[Andes]], it is common to pour a small amount of one's beverage on the ground before drinking as an offering to the [[Pachamama]], or Mother Earth. This especially holds true when drinking [[Chicha]], an alcoholic beverage unique to this part of the world. The libation ritual is commonly called ''challa'' and is performed quite often, usually before meals and during celebrations. The sixteenth century writer [[Bernardino de Sahagún]] records the Aztec ceremony associated with drinking ''[[pulque|octli]]'':
<blockquote>Libation was done in this manner: when ''octli'' was drunk, when they tasted the new ''octli'', when someone had just made ''octli''...he summoned people. He set it out in a vessel before the hearth, along with small cups for drinking. Before having anyone drink, he took up ''octli'' with a cup and then poured it before the hearth; he poured the ''octli'' in the four directions. And when he had poured the ''octli'' then everyone drank it.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nH_P1Gn1twwC&q=octli|title=Primeros Memoriales|first1=Bernardino de|last1=Sahagún|first2=Henry B.|last2=Nicholson|date=March 23, 1997|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=9780806129099 |via=Google Books}}</ref></blockquote>

===Asia===
====Hinduism====
{{multiple image
 | align     = right
 | direction = horizontal
 | header_align = center
 | header    =
 | caption_align = left
 | image1    = Vamana Bali Shukra.jpg
 | width1    = 131
 | alt1      = 
 | caption1  = [[Mahabali|Bali]] pouring out a libation to [[Vamana]]
 | image2    = Tarpan - Jagannath Ghat - Kolkata 2012-10-15 0622.JPG
 | width2    = 252
 | alt2      = Tarpan is being done at the Jagannath Ghat, Kolkata
 | caption2  = ''Tarpan'' (offering of holy water) at Jagannath Ghat, [[Kolkata]], at the end of the Pitru Paksha
 }}
In [[Hinduism]] libation rituals most often involve pouring the offered liquid over a [[murti]] or sacred image.  Many temple images receive libations from the priests daily. Libations are part of ''[[Tarpana|Tarpan]]'' and also performed during [[Pitru Paksha]] (Fortnight of the ancestors) following the [[Bhadrapada]] month of the [[Hindu calendar]], (September–October).<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian Hindu devotee performs "Tarpan"|newspaper=Hindustan Times|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/photos-news/Photos-India/Mahalaya2010/Article4-609581.aspx|date=Oct 2010|access-date=2013-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215091147/http://www.hindustantimes.com/photos-news/Photos-India/Mahalaya2010/Article4-609581.aspx|archive-date=2014-12-15|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In India and Nepal, Lord Shiva (also Vishnu and other deities) is offered [[abhisheka]] with water by devotees at many temples when they go visit the temple, and on special occasions elaborately with water, milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, and sugar.

==== Burmese Buddhism ====

In [[Burmese Buddhism]], the water libation ceremony, called ''yay zet cha'' ({{lang|my|ရေစက်ချ}}), which involves the ceremonial pouring of water from a vessel of water into a vase, drop by drop, concludes most Buddhist ceremonies, including donation celebrations, [[shinbyu]], and feasts. This ceremonial libation is done to share the accrued [[Merit (Buddhism)|merit]] with all other living beings in all 31 planes of existence.<ref>{{cite book |title=Burmese supernaturalism |last=Spiro |first=Melford E. |year=1996 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-56000-882-8 |pages=44–47 }}</ref> The ceremony has three primary prayers: the confession of faith, the pouring of water, and the sharing of merits.<ref name="dpb">{{cite book|title=ဝတ်ရွတ်စဉ်|publisher=သီတဂူဗုဒ္ဓဝိဟာရ|location=Austin, Texas|year=2011|pages=34–35|url=http://www.sitagu.org/downloads/Daily%20Recitation%20Ebook%202011.pdf|language=my|access-date=2012-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018030937/http://www.sitagu.org/downloads/Daily%20Recitation%20Ebook%202011.pdf|archive-date=2011-10-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> While the water is poured, a confession of faith, called the ''{{lang|my-Latn|hsu taung imaya dhammanu}}'' ({{lang|my|ဆုတောင်း ဣမာယ ဓမ္မာနု}}), is recited and led by the monks.<ref name="spi">{{cite book |title=Buddhism and society: a great tradition and its Burmese vicissitudes |last=Spiro |first=Melford E. |year=1982 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-04672-6 |pages=213–214 }}</ref>

Then, the merit is distributed by the donors (called ''ahmya wei'' {{lang|my|အမျှဝေ}}) by thrice saying the following:<ref name="dpb"/>

{{blockquote|(To all those who can hear), we share our merits with all beings<br />''{{lang|my-Latn|(Kya kya thahmya), ahmya ahmya ahmya yu daw mu gya ba gon law}}''<br />({{lang|my|(ကြားကြားသမျှ) အမျှ အမျှ အမျှ ယူတော်မူကြပါ ကုန်လော}})}}

[[File:Yezetcha ceremony.PNG|thumb|upright=1.5|Burmese Buddhist water libation ceremony in 1900]]
Afterward, in unison, the participants repeat thrice a declaration of affirmation: ''{{lang|my-Latn|thadu}}'' ({{lang|my|သာဓု}}, ''{{lang|my-Latn|sadhu}}''), Pali for "well done", akin to the Christian use of [[amen]]. Afterward, the libated water is poured on soil outside, to return the water to [[Vasudhara]]. The earth goddess [[Vasudhara]] is invoked to witness these meritorious deeds.<ref name="spi"/>

Prior to colonial rule, the water libation ceremony was also performed during the crowning of Burmese kings, as part of procedures written in the ''Raza Thewaka Dipani Kyan'', an 1849 text that outlines proper conduct of Burmese kings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.aungzay.org/content/view/38/18/ |title=The AungZay Institute Inc. - Notes on Statecraft |access-date=2010-06-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525211535/http://portal.aungzay.org/content/view/38/18/ |archive-date=2009-05-25 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/showfile.asp?eventfileid=304 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-01-05 |archive-date=2011-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183313/http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/showfile.asp?eventfileid=304 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Although the offering of water to Vasudhara may have pre-Buddhist roots, this ceremony is believed to have been started by King [[Bimbisara]], who poured the libation of water, to share his merit with his ancestors who had become [[preta]]s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Traditions of Buddhist Practice in Burma |last=Houtman |first=Gustaaf |year=1990 |publisher=ILCAA |pages=53–55 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usamyanmar.net/.../Life%20of%20Gotama%20Buddha.ppt |title=Archived copy |website=www.usamyanmar.net |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308222820/http://www.usamyanmar.net/.../Life%20of%20Gotama%20Buddha.ppt |archive-date=8 March 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.budsir.org/E_hist43.htm|title=The king performs merit in the name of his ancestors reborn as petas (hungry ghosts); the peta rejoice in the act and receive a share of the merit|year=2002|work=Mahidol University|access-date=28 February 2012}}</ref>

This ceremony is also practiced at the end of Thai and Laotian Buddhist rituals to transfer merit, where it is called ''kruat nam'' (กรวดน้ำ) and ''yaat nam'' respectively.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hayashi|first=Yukio|title=Practical Buddhism among the Thai-Lao: religion in the making of a region|publisher=Trans Pacific Press|year=2003|pages=146–147|isbn=978-4-87698-454-1}}</ref>
<gallery widths=180>
File:MET 19 135 29.jpg|Nepalese ewer for water oblations, 19th century
File:Clevelandart 1960.42.jpg|Bronze Chinese libation cup ''([[Jue (vessel)|jue]])'', late [[Shang dynasty]], ca. 1210 BCE
File:China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi reign - Libation Cup - 1920.424 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|[[Jade]] libation cup, [[Qing dynasty]], 1661–1722 CE
File:Miki in Itsukushima Shrine 2.jpg|Sake offerings as ''[[omiki]]'' at [[Itsukushima Shrine]], Japan, 2017
</gallery>

====China====
The most traditional [[Chinese ritual bronze]] vessel for libations, the [[Jue (vessel)|jue]], has a large pouring lip, and may be regarded as a type of jug rather than a cup.  In modern Chinese customs, rice wine or tea is poured in front of an altar or tombstone horizontally from right to left with both hands as an offering to gods and in honour of the deceased. The offering is usually placed on the altar for a while before being offered in libation. In more elaborate ceremonies honouring deities, the libation may be done over the burning paper offerings; whereas for the deceased, the wine is only poured onto the ground.

==== Japan ====
{{Main|Omiki}}
Japanese libations leave the liquid offering on the altar in a suitable vessel, while other portions are drunk by the participants. In [[Shinto]], the practice of libation and the drink offered is called ''Miki'' (神酒), lit. "The Liquor of the Gods". At a ceremony at a Shinto shrine, it is usually done with [[sake]], but at a household shrine, one may substitute fresh [[water]] which can be changed every morning. It is served in a white porcelain or metal cup without any decoration.

[[File:Ainu ikupasuy (libation stick), katsura tree II.JPG|thumb|300px|A [[Cercidiphyllum|katsura tree]] ikupasuy]]

Among the [[Ainu people|Ainu]], libations are offered by means of the ''[[ikupasuy]]'', a carved wooden implement with a "tongue," the pointed end<ref>{{Cite web |title=British Museum - ceremonial equipment / ikupasuy |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3125361&partId=1&object=31180&page=1 |access-date=19 July 2015 |website=British Museum}}</ref> from which [[millet beer]] or [[sake]] is dripped upon the venerated object.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People |url=http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/ainu/html/room05.html |access-date=19 July 2015 |website=si.edu}}</ref>

=== Siberian shamanism ===
[[Shamanism in Siberia|Shamanism among Siberian peoples]] exhibits the great diversity characteristic of [[shamanism]] in general.<ref name=div>{{harvnb|Hoppál|2005|p=15}}.</ref> Among several peoples near the [[Altai Mountains]], the new drum of a shaman must go through a special ritual. This is regarded as "enlivening the drum": the tree and the deer who gave their wood and skin for the new drum narrate their whole lives and promise to the shaman that they will serve him. The ritual itself is a libation: beer is poured onto the skin and wood of the drum, and these materials "come to life" and speak with the voice of the shaman in the name of the tree and the deer. Among the [[Tubalar]], moreover, [[Sound mimesis in shamanhood|the shaman imitates the voice of the animal]], and its behaviour as well.<ref>{{harvnb|Eliade|2004|loc=ch. 5}}, which discusses the symbolism of the shamanic drum and costume, in the subsection about the drum.</ref>