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:
“Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“I am no Poet here; my pen ‘s the spout,
Where the rain water of my eyes run out,
In pity of that name, whose fate wee see
Thus copied out in griefs Hydrography:
The Muses are not Mer-maids, though upon
His death the Ocean might turn Helicon”
—John Cleveland (1613–1658)