Ritual of Offering to the Deities of Water

Abstract

Traditional customs that regulate everyday life and religious practices have had an important place in the spiritual culture of the Kalmyks. Among such customs are pre-Buddhist beliefs and sacrificial offerings to the deities of land and water which have survived to this day. The ritual of offering to the deities of water is one such example, which is usually performed in spring, in early summer, or during one's first visit to a place with water. The aim of this ritual is to appease the masters of water and to call in luck and prosperity. The video footage presented here shows this ritual performed during the lotus flowering period at the Caspian sea. The ritual, accompanied by Buddhist prayers, was performed at dawn by fishermen and lay men. Offerings to the deities consisted of 'white food' (dairy products), fruit, sweets, scents and two candles. The two candles are believed to symbolise a synthesis or mixture of pre-Buddhist and Buddhist elements, for they are offered not to one but to a number of deities. In the past domestic animals were used for sacrifice, but with the revival of Buddhism in today's Kalmykia the sacrificial animal has been replaced by food products.