When most people think of religions, they imagine prayer services, singing and preaching. While these are components of many different faith traditions, religions also involve rituals that use everyday objects. The following materials play important roles in many religious ceremonies.

Food

Frequently, religious ceremonies involve consuming food. Christian services often include the consumption of bread and wine, a ritual known as communion, which in some traditions is believed to be the body and blood of Jesus, the religion’s founder. Many Jewish rituals also rely on food. For example, the feast of Passover revolves around a special meal that Jews eat while reciting prayers and reading from their holy book. Other religions, especially those in Southeast Asia, consume substances such as kratom. If you are wondering where to buy kratom, you can find it online or perhaps at your local health store.

Candles

Candles allow people to see during rituals that take place outside at night, and they can be symbolic for many reasons. In Buddhist temples, believers light candles in front of statues to show their respect for the Buddha. Most Christian churches include candles as a reminder of the light of God. Lighting candles at home is an important part of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which means the Festival of Lights.

Water

Because people use water to clean themselves and their belongings, water has many symbolic uses in religions. Some traditions, such as Islam, require ritual washings with water before prayers, a practice known as wudu. In Christian churches, new converts or babies are sprinkled with water as a sign of their new spiritual life. While the details differ, in most traditions, water helps to purify believers before their spiritual practices.

Religious services look very different depending on the faith and location. However, most use common objects such as food, candles and water in their rituals.