Maritime and Riverside Rituals: Belief, Community and the Geopolitics of Water

Across the world, communities have developed rituals associated with seas, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. Some ask for protection before a voyage. Others give thanks for a catch, honour ancestors, accompany a religious celebration or mark a community’s continuing relationship with a river or coast. These practices give water meanings that extend beyond its physical and economic importance. A shoreline may be a place of fishing and transport, but it may also be a place of prayer, memory and ceremony. A river may support movement and agriculture while also forming part of a religious calendar or a community’s account of its own history. Maritime and riverside rituals are diverse. They may involve offerings, processions, music, dance, food, boats or the collective telling of stories. Some are public celebrations attended by many people; others take place within families or smaller communities. Some are associated with established religious institutions, while others arise from local traditions that are expressed differently by different participants.