Milk and Holy Water
Today I took milk to Babushka K. After knocking down a huge icicle from her balcony, we had tea. As we were finishing our tea, she mentioned her son had been there yesterday and had brought her a bottle of holy water. On January 19, the Orthodox church celebrated Theophany, which is the day of the baptism of Jesus. It is one of the bigger church holidays. Among other things (like being baptized in the often icy cold water on this night), on this day, it is believed that the Holy Spirit comes down and changes the natural properties of the water and it is able to heal people and bless people in other situations as well. The priests bless the water, which is actually called Theophany water, on this day so that people can take home and use it whenever they need it. They can drink it not just in cases of illness but for whenever they need a blessing in the year or years to come. It is believed that this water won’t spoil with time and can last for several years. Babushka K still had a bottle left from last year and didn’t think she needed that much. She asked me if I had any and I said no so she decided to give me a bottle. It was important for her to give me a bottle and she considered it something valuable. While I don’t feel I need this water, I saw no reason so offend her so I took it quietly and thanked her. So now I have a bottle of holy water.
Tags: Babushka K, holiday, home visit, religion
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