Purity of the Body – Purification rituals in the religions

Thematic field of the exhibition "Body. Cult. Religion."

Purity and impurity are important categories in many religions. Water and smoke in particular are used for religious purification rites that focus on the body. Two major types of purity regulations can be distinguished: prophylactic and cathartic purity regulations. The first regulations are preventive and are intended to keep people away from impurities, while the second regulations show how impurities can be reversed.

Purity is so important because many religions believe that people who come into contact with deities or other supernatural beings should approach them naturally and purely. In order to achieve purity, people therefore practise asceticism (fasting, abstaining from certain foods, etc.) or live in temporary or permanent sexual abstinence. Physical changes such as shaving the hair or circumcision are also popular ways of achieving physical purity. They often also serve to establish social boundaries: shaving the hair of monks and nuns, for example, is a clear sign.

The ritual washing before prayer in Islam, the sprinkling of holy water in church and the washing of hands before eating in Judaism all serve to cleanse the body, but also the spirit, and are intended to banish impurities from the body. In China, urinals and spittoons are used as grave goods to ensure hygiene even after death.

Selected exhibits

The following texts are based on the exhibition catalogue:

Erhardt, S.; Graefe, J.; Lichtenberger, A.; Lohwasser, A.; Nieswandt, H.-H.; Strutwolf, H. (eds.): Body. Cult. Religion. Perspectives from Antiquity to the Present. Münster 2024. (only available in german)

• Silver Levite jug with bowl, late 19th/early 20th century (Cat. no. 137)

  Exemplary exhibits from the ‘Purity of the Body’ theme area

  

  The jug was used for Jewish purification rituals in which the so-called Levites, who were responsible for the temple service, washed the hands of the priests before they gave the priestly blessing to the congregation during the service.  This ritual is still performed today. The priest merely acts as a link between the congregation and God. Before he enters into contact with the sacred in this way, it is therefore necessary for him to be placed in a state of ritual purity. This also plays a role in other areas of Judaism in various forms. Hand washing with a subsequent blessing, for example, also takes place before and after a meal. Certain forms of impurity require the entire body to be immersed in a mikveh, a ritual bath. (exc/fbu)

• Picture book for toddlers for washing before prayer (Cat. no. 141)

  

  Exhibited in the ‘Purity of the Body’ area, this 15 x 15 cm book made of plastic is on loan from a private collection, and explains in pictures for small children the individual steps involved in ritual washing (wuḍūᶜ) in Islam: often, believers begin the ablution by declaring their intention (niyya) and saying ‘bismillāh’ (‘in the name of God’). They then wash the mouth, nose, face and arms three times, the latter from the fingertips to the elbows only, before stroking their head, ears and neck. Believers are obliged to pray from the age of sexual maturity, and must therefore perform these ablutions before each prayer. (exc/pie)

• Priest’s staff from the japanese Shintō religion (Cat. no. 147)

  

  The priest’s staff comes from the Japanese religion Shintō and is used for purification rituals. Purity plays a crucial role in Shintō: ritual purification (harai) serves not only to cleanse a person’s body in a religious sense, but also to expel harmful elements that can lead to disease or disaster. Both the body and the mind are always cleansed. The staff used for purification is called ōnusa, nuki or gohei. The priest waves the staff to the left, right and left in front of the person, who is usually sitting or standing with their head bowed. Whether making a sound while waving the staff is beneficial or detrimental to the process of purification – this depends on the shrine in question. (exc/pie)

• Incense bowl, incense and lavender water (Cat. no. 144)

  

  In Brazil, lavender water and incense are everyday means of making one’s own body or immediate surroundings fragrant. But in the Afro-Brazilian religions Candomblé and Umbanda they also serve to achieve spiritual purity. The body and rooms are treated with lavender water and incense to ward off ‘negative energies’ and ensure spiritual purity and protection. Specific incense, such as the ‘Contra Olho’ shown here, is used to ward off the so-called evil eye, i.e. the envy of others, and any negative physical and/or social effects to which it may give rise. These substances are used both in the context of collective rituals and in private, individual spiritual practices. This is related to a belief in spirits that permeates all social classes and religious affiliations in Brazil, these spirits having a positive influence that must be promoted and a negative influence that must be averted. (exc/tst)

• Chinese urinal from the Jin Dynasty (265–316 CE) (Cat. no. 145)

  

  The function of objects like this one was long a mystery. Undisturbed Chinese graves show that such pieces were always placed at the feet of male corpses, and it is now assumed that they are urinals. The urinal shown here is made of grey-green glazed celadon ware, which is particularly widespread in southern China, and dates from the 3rd century CE. It can be observed as early as the 5th century BCE that underground tombs in China were designed to reflect the dwellings of the living. The household effects of the deceased were represented in the form of small ceramic models, with objects for hygienic use such as this urinal also belonging to the furnishings. Interestingly, no counterparts in women’s graves have yet been found. (exc/tst)

To the next thematic field: "Rituals of Life"