On January 19, Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is preceded by Epiphany Christmas Eve.. Traditionally, on the evening of January 18 and in the afternoon of January 19, water is blessed in churches, it is believed that baptismal water acquires healing properties..

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Where can you get water.

You can collect water at home, in a temple or in a consecrated reservoir. To consecrate water from the house, it must be collected in advance in containers and brought to the temple.

They bless the water both in the evening of 18 and in the afternoon of January 19. Believers can choose any of these days, since consecration occurs in the same way.. Such water is called agiasma (translated from Greek - a shrine). It has miraculous and healing properties..

How to store holy water.

Water is stored at home in a clean glass container, preferably near the icons.

Consecrated water should not be refrigerated.

At the same time, it is impossible to store holy water “forever”, this is considered the “conclusion” of the shrine. Water should be drunk on an empty stomach.

What to do if the holy water has gone bad.

It is believed that the water consecrated for Baptism cannot deteriorate, but sometimes it still happens.. If this happens, the water must be poured out where people and dogs do not go.. It should be a clean place: a spring, a pond, a flower pot, a tree in the garden.

Do not pour holy water down the drain.