5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE

Here’s Why We Offer Spirits for the Spirits

“Pour out a little liquor” and other thoughts on libation as a cultural practice.

A hand offers up a small glass of whiskey. From coffee to alcohol, offering a drink to the dead is a cultural practice many of us embrace. Image: Getty

By October 31st you’ll see any number of online posts about spooky cocktails, skull-shaped ice cubes, festive punchbowl presentations involving dry ice — the usual Halloween cocktail fare. This year, let’s go a little deeper. We’re in the season of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, and the Day of the Dead, a time when we visit cemeteries to remember our loved ones and celebrate their lives. This is a time to consider alcohol as more than just a beverage — consider what it means as a spirit and to the spirits.

The first time I witnessed the ritual of someone pouring out spirits for those we miss, it was my mother. From the moment a bottle of alcohol was cracked open in our household, or she had a freshly-made drink in her hand, she’d dash out a little to the ground, and explain — “that’s for the spirits.” This practice of pouring some out for our ancestors has deep roots in a collective history from across the Diaspora. It’s known as libation or a libation ceremony in many cultures, upheld as a tradition and religious offering from the time of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Israel. The practice of offering spirits to the saints or spirits is upheld in the…