Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism; the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.
The use for baptism and spiritual cleansing is common among several religions, from Christianity to Sikhism and Hinduism. The use of holy water as a sacramental for protection against evil is almost exclusive to Roman Catholics.
Read more about Holy Water: In Non-Christian Religions, Unofficial Uses
Famous quotes containing the words holy and/or water:
“You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to aliens residing in your towns for them to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 14:21.
“And one rose in a tent of sea and gave
A darkening shudder; water fell away;
The whale stood shining, and then sank in spray.”
—Yvor Winters (1900–1968)