Great Blessing of the Waters (Epiphany)

Eastern Orthodoxy · Eastern Mediterranean / Orthodox Christian communities

Great Blessing of the Waters (Epiphany)

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Claimed Effect

Within the tradition as described in the sources, water sanctified by a priest becomes holy water that may be used for baptism, blessing persons, places, and objects, and as a means of repelling evil.

Description

The Great Blessing of the Waters (Epiphany) is presented in the supplied material as an instance of the wider Christian practice of creating holy water by priestly sanctification. The ritual's primary function is to render ordinary water sacramentally effective for use in baptism and for blessing people, homes, and objects. In the contexts referenced, sanctified water is also believed to repel evil. The supplied sources do not include the liturgical text, precise ceremonial actions, or detailed theological exposition specific to the Epiphany rite; they identify only the functional role of priestally sanctified water within several Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodoxy.

Procedure
  1. 01Step 1 — A priest sanctifies water (the supplied sources state that holy water is water 'sanctified by a priest'; no further procedural details are provided in the available material).
Contraindications
  • ⚠Not specified in the provided sources (the available material does not record contraindications or conditions under which the rite should not be performed).

Community Record

Sources
  1. [1]
    Holy water in Christianity (section on uses of holy water). Wikipedia, 'Holy water in Christianity' — notes that in several Christian denominations (including Eastern Orthodoxy) holy water is water sanctified by a priest for baptism, blessing persons/places/objects, or repelling evil.wiki
  2. [2]
    CIA Reading Room: TO PRINT AS A SENATE DOCUMENT A REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HUMPHREY AMENDMENT TO THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT. Archive document included in research corpus; contains no material on the Great Blessing of the Waters.other
  3. [3]
    CIA Reading Room: THE NORTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN: REGIONAL IMPACT OF US-SOVIET COMPETITION. Archive document included in research corpus; contains no material on the Great Blessing of the Waters.other
  4. [4]
    Miscellaneous archive collection (names list). Archive document included in research corpus; contains no material on the Great Blessing of the Waters.other
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