’2.2 billion people still do not have access to safely managed drinking water. 3.6 billion people – nearly half of the world – do not have access to safely managed sanitation.’ – UNICEF
The world is experiencing a water crisis, but access to safe water and the fight for water in general is not a new phenomenon. Most people I know in my country and beyond take tap water for granted, but I don’t have to cross borders to find those who don’t have access to it, who live in abject poverty, and showering or cooking with running water has never been an option.
Depending on health, age, and gender, about three quarters of the human body is water, and about 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Note the eerily similar figures. We can survive for surprisingly long periods without food, but without water, we can only survive for a few days.
Given all this, it is no wonder that so many beliefs and traditions are built around water. Water is considered sacred in many parts of the world. Beyond its physical necessity, it has a deep cultural significance. From sacred rivers to water spirits to ritual cleansing, water plays a central role in human survival, and not just at the level of the visible world. Water is in close connection to spirituality, and thus, it has influenced societies for thousands of years.
I would like to share a few examples to show how similarly we respond to joy, sorrow, as well as natural phenomena, whether we live in Europe, Asia, or Africa.
Sacred waters across Asia
I was peacefully enjoying some idle time on the banks of the Tuul River in Gachuurt, 20 km East of Ulaanbaatar when I noticed a Mongolian man shouting aggressively at a young non-Mongolian guy in my group. Another man, who was also one of my travel companions, came to the aid of the young and foolish guy and apologised profusely for his ignorance. What happened was that the young and foolish urinated in the river, not knowing the local traditions. The Tuul River is sacred to the Mongols like all natural water sources and other natural formations such as mountains, steppes, or the sky.
In Mongolia, water is deeply respected in both Shamanism and Buddhism. Rivers and lakes are sacred beings. They are believed to have spirits or deities, and their waters are considered sacred and healing. Traditional shamanic rituals involve offering milk, alcoholic drinks, or tea to rivers and lakes to ensure harmony with nature. Spitting or polluting water sources is seen as highly disrespectful. In Mongolian Buddhism, offering bowls filled with water are placed on altars as a sign of purity, generosity, and devotion to deities. Monasteries also use water for blessings and purification ceremonies.
Tibetan Buddhism has a profound reverence for water, which is integral to many religious practices. Similarly to Mongolia, some water bodies, like Lake Namtso and Yamdrok Lake, are considered sacred, and believed to be inhabited by divine beings. Pilgrims visit these lakes to pray, meditate, and seek blessings. Monks and devotees place water-filled bowls on altars as an act of pure generosity. Unlike food offerings, water is seen as an offering that is accessible to all beings without attachment. Some Tibetan prayer wheels are turned by flowing water, believed to continuously send out blessings and positive energy into the world. In Tibetan funerary customs, bodies are sometimes offered to nature, and prayers are recited near rivers to help the soul transition. The movement of water symbolizes spiritual passage and renewal.
In India, The River Ganges is considered sacred in Hinduism, believed to purify sins and grant spiritual liberation. Millions of pilgrims visit its banks for ritual baths. In Thailand too, water is used for purification rituals. During Songkran (Thai New Year), people pour water over Buddha statues and each other as a symbol of washing away bad luck and sins.
Sacred waters in Africa and among people of African descent
We can find water spirits throughout Africa, similar to the ones of Asia, that are protective by default but if disrespected, they turn into fierce and wrathful entities, and in arts, they can be represented as humans, animals, or a combination of both.
Although its origin is traced back to the 15th-century encounters of Europeans and West Africans, and its most likely inspiration was Europe’s mermaids, Mami Wata (mother water) is recognised by various people throughout Africa as a powerful water spirit. Interesting to note that due to Indian merchants, in some areas of Africa, its depictions show Hindu influence, and are connected to the Hindu deity, Hanuman. This mixture of influences is present in spirituality in most parts of the world. In some cases we can trace a particular tradition back to its source, in others we can only guess how it came about, but the current state of most cultural practices is an imprint of historical relationships and is thus multi-layered.
In the West African Yoruba religious tradition alone, there are over 400 spiritual forces. Despite this abundance, the best known Sub-Saharan African orisha or spirit, that we may have heard of, even if we are not particularly immersed in the subject, is Oshun. She is called the river goddess in the Yoruba religion, and is ’typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality’. We have heard this name because it is also present outside Africa. Wherever people of African descent live, Oshun and its associated spiritual practices, as well as other West African deities are present. With the transatlantic slave trade, not only people but whole cultures reached new continents and then adapted to the new circumstances and needs.
In Cuba, water holds deep spiritual significance, especially within Afro-Cuban religions like Santería and Palo Monte. Oshun, the orisha of love, fertility, and rivers, is highly venerated. Offerings are often made at rivers or waterfalls to honor her energy and seek her favor. In Santería, Yemayá is the powerful goddess of the ocean, motherhood, and protection. Devotees often perform rituals by the sea, offering fruits, candles, and flowers to seek her blessings. Some rivers in Cuba, such as the Almendares River in Havana, are considered spiritually significant. Spiritual baths with herbs, blessed water, and prayers are common in Santería to remove negative energy and attract prosperity. Devotees of Palo Monte, with its roots in Central Africa, may use river water in ceremonies to connect with spirits. Christian baptisms, using holy water to cleanse and bless, are common, often blending with Afro-Cuban spiritual beliefs.
In Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion, Yemanjá is the goddess of the sea. Every New Year’s Eve, people in cities like Salvador and Rio de Janeiro make offerings of flowers and candles to her at the ocean. Oshun (or Oxum) is also present in Brazil, and the relationship between these two Yoruba goddesses is beautifully complex and collaborative, intending to create balance in the natural world.
As summed up by Camille Talkeu Tounouga, ’three models for the representation of water are found in Black-African traditions: water as a source of life, as an instrument of purification and as a locus of regeneration.’ These, as we can see from the cited examples, are true not only to Black-African traditions but wherever water is held sacred.
What about Europe?
Interestingly, the sources give the impression that water spirits in Europe are feared by many people and that various rituals are used to pacify or drive them away. They can be benevolent and malevolent, some watering the fields to help the crops, others driving young men to their deaths, and are particularly vicious with young women.
Slavic water spirits have been compared to the Greek nymphs, although the latter are represented as more kind toward people. Celtic mythology also lists many vicious water spirits but in Germanic mythology the focus is on their ability to provide good harvest and safe passage across the body of water.
There is a celebration held across Central and Eastern Europe on Easter Monday when boys throw water over girls which custom dates back to pagan times. There is debate about the meaning of this tradition, but it is generally believed that it ensures fertility and brings abundance to girls, and even a husband if the person who waters the girl is to her liking. Despite the perceived benefits, however, not all girls and women appreciate this tradition today, because it basically involves a few men holding the girl by force while one of them splashes her with full force from a bucket.
Overall in Europe, despite a strong tradition in the past, respect for water sources is less prevalent, and is not present in everyday life, which may be at least partly related to the fact that water is relatively easily accessible to the majority of the population and, as mentioned above, taken for granted.
Why are those rituals still with us in many parts of the world?
Whether we fear, respect, or worship water spirits, water bodies represent a passage to another world. They are the abodes of supernatural forces, to which people turn for help and hope in times of crisis. It is no coincidence that when the world, or on a smaller scale a country or, community is going through an even more difficult period than usual, these beliefs are reinforced and the number of believers increases. We see this with Mongolian shamanism and Cuban Santería.
Whether we attribute healing properties to a river or the ocean, or believe it brings us wealth, the environment is protected through the rituals we practice. When we consider something sacred, whether out of fear or hope, we care more about its well-being and its future. Indigenous communities and environmental movements often draw on spiritual and cultural beliefs to advocate for water conservation, and while the biggest and most polluting corporations rarely listen, individual actions do matter. Water remains central to both cultural identity and survival.
Don’t think of any of the mentioned countries as a virgin land. Near the place where the mentioned incident took place on the river bank, the land was littered with what the hikers left behind. Pollution is a big problem in Mongolia, as in most parts of the world.
Spirituality is a malleable thing, it is never uniform, and never practised by the whole of society at once, but ancient traditions linked to nature are alive and well, and somehow manage to survive despite, or probably because of, the challenges of the 21st century.
Most importantly, water is a mirror that shows how insignificant our origins become when we are thirsty.