The miraculous properties of holy water.

Why is water blessed? Is water blessed if there is no Epiphany frost? What is the difference between Epiphany water and Epiphany water? Does swimming in a chop cleanse from sins? Is Epiphany water all week long? Why can holy water go bad or not help?

Why is water blessed?

Water plays an important role in our daily life. However, it also has the highest meaning: it is characterized by healing power, which is repeatedly said in the Holy Scriptures.

In New Testament times, water serves the spiritual rebirth of a person into a new, grace-filled life, cleansing from sins. In a conversation with Nicodemus, Christ the Savior says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3: 5). Christ Himself at the beginning of His ministry received Baptism from the prophet John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. In the hymns of the service for this holiday it is said that the Lord "grants purification with water to the human race"; "You have sanctified the jets of the Jordan, you have crushed the sinful state, Christ our God ...".

How is water blessed?

Blessing of water is small and great: the small is performed several times throughout the year (during prayer services, the sacrament of Baptism), and the great - only on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (Epiphany). Consecration of water is called great because of the special solemnity of the ceremony, imbued with the memory of the gospel event, which became not only the prototype of the mysterious washing of sins, but also the actual sanctification of the very nature of water through the immersion of God in the flesh into it.

The great consecration of water is performed according to the Rite at the end of the liturgy, after the prayer outside the ambo, on the very day of the Epiphany (January 6/19), as well as on the eve of the Epiphany (January 5/18). On the very day of the Epiphany, the blessing of water is performed with a solemn procession of the cross to the sources of water, known as the “passage to Jordan”.

Will unusual weather conditions in Russia affect the course of the Epiphany and the blessing of the waters?

In any church holiday, it is necessary to distinguish between its meaning and the traditions that have developed around it. In the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the main thing is the Epiphany, this is the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, the voice of God the Father from heaven “This is my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descending on Christ. The main thing for a Christian on this day is the presence at the church service, confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, the communion of baptismal water.

The established traditions of swimming in cold ice holes are not directly related to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord itself, are not mandatory and, most importantly, do not cleanse a person from sins, which, unfortunately, is much talked about in the media.

Such traditions should not be regarded as magical rites - the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated by Orthodox Christians in hot Africa, America, and Australia. After all, the palm branches of the Feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem were replaced by willows in Russia, and the consecration of vines for the Transfiguration of the Lord - with the blessing of the harvest of apples. Likewise, on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, all waters will be sanctified, regardless of their temperature.

Archpriest Igor Pchelintsev, press secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese

How to use holy water?

The use of holy water in the daily life of an Orthodox Christian is quite varied. For example, it is consumed on an empty stomach in small quantities, usually together with a piece of prosphora (this is especially true of the great hagiasma (water consecrated on the eve and on the very day of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord), sprinkle their dwelling.

A special property of holy water is that, added even in small amounts to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it, therefore, in case of a shortage of holy water, it can be diluted with plain water.

We must not forget that consecrated water is a church relic, which has been touched by the grace of God, and which requires a reverent attitude towards itself.

It is customary to use holy water with prayer: “ O Lord my God, may Thy holy gift and Thy holy water be for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my soul and body, for the health of my soul and body, for the conquest of my passions and weaknesses, according to Thy infinite mercy by the prayers of the Most Pure Thy Mother and all Thy saints. Amen».

Although it is desirable - out of reverence for the shrine - to take Epiphany water on an empty stomach, but due to a special need for God's help - in case of ailments or attacks of evil forces - you can and should drink it without hesitation, at any time. With reverence, holy water stays fresh and tasty for a long time. It should be stored in a separate place, preferably next to the home iconostasis.

Is the water consecrated on the day of Epiphany and on Epiphany Eve different in its properties?

- There is absolutely no difference! Let's go back to the time of Patriarch Nikon: he specifically asked the Patriarch of Antioch whether it was necessary to consecrate the water on the very day of the Baptism of the Lord: after all, the day before, on Christmas Eve, the water had already been consecrated. And he received the answer that there will be no sin, it can be done again so that everyone can take water. And here today they come for one water, and the next day for another - they say, here the water is stronger. And what is it stronger? So we see that people do not even listen to the prayers that are read at the consecration. And they do not know that water is consecrated in one rite, the same prayers are recited.

Holy water is absolutely the same on both days - on the day of Epiphany and on Epiphany Christmas Eve.

priest Mikhail Mikhailov

Is it true that swimming in an ice-hole for Epiphany cleanses all sins?

This is not true! Swimming in an ice-hole (Jordan) is an old good folk custom, which is not, nevertheless, a church sacrament. Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and His Church is possible only in the sacrament of repentance, during confession in church.

Does it ever happen that holy water “doesn't help”?

Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: “All grace that comes from God through the holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidor, prosphora), etc., including the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, is valid only for those who are worthy of this grace through prayers of repentance, repentance, humility, service to people, deeds of mercy and the manifestation of other Christian virtues. But if they are not there, then this grace will not save, it does not act automatically, like a talisman, and is useless for wicked and imaginary Christians (without virtues). "

Miracles of healings still occur today, and they are countless. But only those who receive it with a living faith in the promises of God and the power of the prayer of the Holy Church, those who have a pure and sincere desire to change their lives, repentance, and salvation are rewarded with the miraculous effects of holy water. God does not work miracles where they want to see them only out of curiosity, without a sincere intention to use them for their salvation. “A wicked and adulterous generation,” said the Savior about his unbelieving contemporaries, “is looking for a sign; and no sign will be given to him. ”In order for the holy water to benefit us, we will take care of the purity of our souls, of the high dignity of our thoughts and deeds.

Is the water baptismal all week long?

Epiphany water is such from the moment of its consecration for a year, or two or more, until its supplies at home run out. Taken into the temple on any day, it never loses its holiness.

Archimandrite Ambrose (Ermakov)

My grandmother brought me Epiphany water, which a friend gave her, but it tastes musty and I'm afraid to drink it. What to do in this case? Sofia

Dear Sophia, due to various circumstances, although very rarely, it happens that water comes to a state that does not allow internal use. In this case, it should be poured into some unsupported place, say, into a flowing river, or in a forest under a tree, and the vessel in which it was stored should no longer be used for household use.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov

Why can holy water go bad?

That happens. Water should be collected in clean containers in which the water should not deteriorate. Therefore, if we previously stored something in these bottles, if they are not very clean, there is no need to collect holy water in them. I remember that in the summer one woman began to pour holy water into a beer bottle ...

Parishioners often like to make comments: for example, they began to explain to one of our priest that he consecrated the water incorrectly - he did not reach the bottom of the tank ... Because of this, they say, the water will not be consecrated ... Well, must father be a diver? Or that the cross is not silver ... There is no need to reach the bottom and the cross can be wooden. There is no need to make a cult out of holy water, but you also need to be pious! A priest friend of mine, in 1988, had a bottle of water, which he had kept since 1953 or 1954 ...

You need to treat water godly and carefully and lead a godly life yourself.

priest Mikhail Mikhailov

Can the unbaptized drink holy water, oil consecrated on the relics of saints and prosphora?

On the one hand, it is possible, because well, what harm can be to a person from the fact that he drinks holy water, or is anointed with oil, or uses prosphora? But you just need to think about which side it can be useful to him.

If this is a certain approach of a person to the church fence, if he, not yet daring to be baptized, say, having been a militant atheist in the past, now, through the prayers of his wife, mother, daughter or someone else close to him, no longer rejects at least these external as if signs of churchliness, this is good and pedagogically it will lead him to what is more essential in our faith - to worship God in spirit and in truth.

And if such actions are perceived as a kind of magic, as a kind of "church medicine", but at the same time a person does not at all strive to become a church member, to become an Orthodox Christian, he only calms himself that I am doing something like this and this will serve as a something like a talisman, then this kind of consciousness does not need to be provoked. Based on these two possibilities, you decide, in relation to your specific situation, whether or not you need to offer church relics to someone from your loved ones.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov

Using materials from sites
Saratov diocese, Tatiana's day, Pravoslavie.ru

The Church renews the memory of the Jordan event with a special rite of the great consecration of water. The priest, through the royal doors, while singing the troparion "The voice of the Lord on the waters ..." goes out to the vessels filled with water, carrying the Honorable Cross on his head, and the consecration of the water begins.

The consecration of water is also performed on the very holiday after the liturgy (also after the prayer after the ambo).

The Orthodox Church has been performing the great blessing of water on the Eve and on the very holiday since ancient times, and the grace of blessing water on these two days is always the same. On the Eve, the consecration of water was performed in remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, which consecrated the watery nature, as well as the baptism of the catechumens, which in ancient times was performed on the Eve of the Epiphany (Fasting Apost., Book 5, ch. 13; historians: Theodorite, Nicephorus Callistus).

On the very same holiday, the blessing of water occurs in remembrance of the actual event of the Baptism of the Savior. The consecration of water on the very holiday got its beginning in the Jerusalem Church and in the 4th-5th centuries. took place only in her alone, where there was a custom to go out to the Jordan River for the consecration of water in remembrance of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the blessing of water on the Eve is performed in churches, and on the very holiday it is usually performed on rivers, springs and in wells (the so-called "Walking to Jordan"), for Christ was baptized outside the temple (See: Definition of the Moscow Council of 1667 .).

The great sanctification of water received its beginning in the early days of Christianity, following the example of the Lord Himself, who sanctified the waters by His immersion in them and established the sacrament of Baptism, in which the sanctification of water takes place from ancient times. The rite of blessing water is attributed to the Evangelist Matthew. Several prayers for this order were written by St. Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople. The final design of the rank is attributed to St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Church teacher Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Apostolic Decrees also contain the prayers pronounced at the consecration of water. So, in the book. The 8th says: "The priest will call on the Lord and say:" And now sanctify this water, and give it grace and strength. "

St. Basil the Great writes: “According to what scripture do we bless the water of baptism? “From the Apostolic tradition, by succession in secret” (Canon 91).

In the second half of the 5th century, the Patriarch of Antioch, Peter Fulon, introduced the custom of blessing water not at midnight, but on the Eve of the Epiphany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 decreed that a double consecration of water should be performed - on the Eve and on the very feast of the Epiphany and condemned Patriarch Nikon, who forbade the double consecration of water.

Following the great consecration of water both in the Eve, and on the feast itself, the same thing and in some parts resembles the following of the small consecration of water. It consists in remembering prophecies related to the event of Baptism (parimia), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litany and prayer), in invoking God's blessing on the waters and immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them three times.

In practice, the rite of consecration of water is performed as follows. After the prayer behind the ambo (at the end of the liturgy) or the supplicatory litany: "Let us perform the evening prayer" (at the end of Vespers), the abbot in full vestments (as during the celebration of the Liturgy), and other priests only in the epitrachil, orders and felonies go out through the royal doors to the sacred font in the porch or to the source.

In front are the priests with candles, followed by the troparion singers, deacons with censers, priests and the abbot carrying the Honorable Cross on an uncovered head (usually the Cross is placed in the air).

At the place of consecration of water, the Cross rests on a decorated table, on which a bowl with water and three candles should be. During the singing of the troparion, the abbot and the deacon perform incense for the water prepared for consecration (three times around the table), and if the water is consecrated in the temple, then the altar, priests, singers and the people also censes.

At the end of the chanting of the troparia, the deacon proclaims: Wisdom, and are read (from the book of the prophet Isaiah), which depict the gracious fruits of the Lord's coming to earth and the spiritual joy of all who turn to the Lord and partake of the life-giving sources of salvation.

Then the prokeimenon is sung, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Apostolic Reading (Cor., Cred. 143rd) speaks of the mysterious baptism of the Jews into Moses in the midst of the cloud and the sea, their spiritual food in the wilderness and drinking from the spiritual stone, which was Christ. The Gospel (Mark, credits 2) tells about the Baptism of the Lord.

After reading the Holy Scriptures, the deacon says. They contain prayers for the consecration of water by the power and action of the Holy Trinity, for the sending down of Jordan's blessing to the water and the granting of grace to it for the healing of mental and physical weaknesses, for driving away all slander of visible and invisible enemies, for the consecration of houses and for every benefit.

During the litany, the abbot secretly reads a prayer for the purification and sanctification of himself: (without exclamation). At the end of the litany, the priest (abbot) loudly reads the consecration prayer: and so on. In this prayer, the Church begs the Lord to come and sanctify the water so that it receives the grace of deliverance, the blessing of Jordan, so that it is a source of incorruption, the resolution of ailments, the cleansing of souls and bodies, the consecration of houses and "fair for every benefit." In the middle of the prayer, the priest exclaims three times: Ubo yourself, Human-loving Tsar, come now by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit and sanctify this water and each time he blesses the water with his hand, but does not immerse his fingers in the water, as is the case in the sacrament of Baptism. At the end of the prayer, the abbot immediately blesses the water in a cruciform with the Honest Cross, holding it with both hands and immersing it straight three times (bringing it down into the water and raising it), and at each immersion of the Cross sings the troparion with the clergy (three times):.

After that, with the repeated singing of the troparion by the singers, the abbot with the Cross in his left hand sprinkles it crosswise in all directions, and also sprinkles the temple with holy water. After sprinkling, it is supposed to sing the stichera on Glory, and now: .

Great Agiasma

The Epiphany holy water is called in the Orthodox Church the great Agiasma - the great Shrine. Since ancient times, Christians have had great reverence for blessed water. At the litany of the great consecration of water, the Church prays:

"About the hedgehog, sanctify this waters, and grant them the grace of deliverance (salvation), the blessing of Jordan, by the power and action and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit ..."

"About the hedgehog of this water being, the sanctification of the gift, the deliverance of sins, for the healing of the soul and body of those who draw and eat, for the sanctification of houses ... and for every good (strong) ...".

In these petitions and in the priest's prayer for the consecration of water, the Church testifies to the manifold actions of the grace of God, given to all who, with faith, “draw upon and partake” of this Shrine.

The sanctity of water is evident to everyone in the fact that it remains fresh and undamaged for a long time. Back in the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom: “Christ was baptized and sanctified the nature of waters; and therefore, on the feast of Epiphany, everyone, drawing water at midnight, brings it home and stores it throughout the year. And so the water in its essence does not deteriorate from the continuation of time, gleaned now for a whole year, and often for two or three years remains fresh and intact, and after a little time does not yield to the waters just drawn from the source. "

This Shrine is used by the Church for sprinkling temples and dwellings, during invocatory prayers for the expulsion of an evil spirit, as a medicine; prescribes it to drink to those who cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. With this water and the Cross, the clergy on the Feast of the Epiphany used to visit the houses of their parishioners, sprinkling them and their homes and, thus, spread blessing and consecration, starting with the temple of God, to all the children of the Church of Christ.

As a sign of special reverence for the Epiphany water as a precious great Shrine on Epiphany Christmas Eve, a strict fast was established, when either eating food before Epiphany water is not supposed to be eaten at all, or a small amount of food is allowed. However, with proper reverence, with the sign of the cross and prayer, you can drink holy water without any embarrassment and doubt, and for those who have already eaten something, and at any time as needed. The Church in the liturgical Rule (see: Typikon, January 6) gives a clear and definite instruction and explanation on this score: those who excommunicate themselves from holy water for the sake of premature eating of food, "do not do good." “We do not have uncleanness in us for eating for the sake of food (food), but from our wicked deeds; cleanse of these, without a doubt, drink this holy water. ”(See: Typikon, January 6, 1st“ See. ” e. like antidor, prosphora, etc. And this pious custom in no case can be eradicated among the people, because this can lead to a weakening of reverence for this Shrine).

Protodeacon Konstantin MARKOVICH, Candidate of Theology, teacher of comparative liturgy at St.

The birth of a tradition

The consecration of water is not one of the seven most important church sacraments, but it undoubtedly has a mysterious, sacramental character. In other words, during the performance of the prayer and the liturgical action on the water, invisibly, but absolutely really, the sanctifying and transforming grace of the Holy Spirit descends. An ancient prayer for the consecration of water (VIII century) says: “Lord Almighty, Creator of water, creator of everything, which you fill and transform everything, change, transform and sanctify water and make it power against any enemy attack and deserve to use it for drinking, washing and sprinkling, for the health of the soul and body, for the removal of all suffering and all disease. " The fall of Adam and Eve entailed damage, distortion of the nature not only of humanity, but of the entire created world (Gen. 3:17). Christ - the New Adam restores, heals and revives human nature, and with it the whole universe (see Rom. 8:21). The liturgical rite of water marks the transformation of the world, first of all its main element - water, its return to its original state by "power, action and inspiration of the Holy Spirit".

In the Orthodox Church, there are three ranks of the consecration of water: 1) the consecration of water in the order of the sacrament of holy baptism; 2) The great consecration of water, which takes place on the feast of the Epiphany (Baptism) of the Lord Jesus Christ; 3) Small consecration of water, performed throughout the year.

The spiritual life of a person is born in the water of holy baptism. Christ in a conversation with Nicodemus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3: 5). In the sacrament of holy baptism, through three times immersion in water, a person is cleansed from original sin, from all sins committed personally before baptism, and enters into a new life with the Triune God in His Church.

The liturgical rite of the sacrament of baptism includes a special prayer for the consecration of the water in which the sacrament will be performed. Like the waters of the Jordan River, sanctified by the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in them and the appearance of the Holy Trinity, the water of holy baptism acquires special properties imparted to it by the Holy Spirit in response to the prayer of the Church - the ability to wash away spiritual impurity and be "demons of destruction", that is, to reflect actions of the devil.

However, even at the dawn of the history of the Church, the tradition of blessing water for purposes unrelated to the sacrament of baptism arose. The oldest prayers for the consecration of water, which have come down to our time, are contained in the "Euchology" of Saint Serapion of Tmuitsky (Egypt, IV century), also the monument of Syrian origin "Testamentum Domini" (V-VI centuries) contains prayers for the consecration of water and oil for the sick, which performed at the Divine Liturgy. The prayer "Great art, O Lord, and wonderful are Thy works", which is part of the rite of consecration of water for the Manifestation, performed in our time, was compiled no later than the 8th century. According to legend, the current liturgical rite of the Great Consecration of Water was compiled by Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (about 560-638).

Rite of consecration

The great consecration of water according to the church charter is performed twice: on the day of the eve (Epiphany Christmas Eve) and on the day of the holiday itself, in conjunction with the Divine Liturgy. Contrary to popular misconception, there is no difference in the "grace of grace" between water consecrated on one day or another. First, water is consecrated according to the same liturgical order. Secondly, initially the blessing of water took place exactly on the eve of the holiday, as evidenced by St. John Chrysostom, as well as the Typikon. The double consecration of water entered the practice of the Orthodox Church after the XII century.

After the prayer behind the ambo, the clergy leave the altar to the prepared vessels with water, or, if the consecration takes place outside the temple, with the procession of the cross goes to the reservoir, where the consecration will be performed. The choir or the people sing stichera (special chants) "The voice of the Lord cries out on the waters ...". The censing is performed, which symbolizes the universal prayer that the Church lifts up to the throne of God (see Rev. 8: 3). After the end of the singing of the stichera, three paremias (excerpts) from the book of the prophet Isaiah are read, in which the coming of the Lord to earth and the abundance of grace-filled gifts given to man are announced. Then follows the prokemen "The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior whom I fear", reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (10: 1-4) and reading the Gospel of Mark (1: 9-11), which tells about Baptism Savior.
Further, the deacon reads the Great Litany with special petitions about “the hedgehog to sanctify the waters by this power and action and inspiration of the Holy Spirit”, about the granting of “Jordan's blessing” to the water, about the granting of grace to it “to heal mental and bodily infirmities”, “to drive away all slander visible and invisible enemies ", to" the consecration of houses and for every benefit. " At the end of the litany, the priest publicly reads the prayer "Great art, O Lord, and wonderful are your works." It is significant that both some forgiveness from the litany and the text of the prayer itself, up to the words “Thou art loving the King, come now also by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, and sanctify this water” are identical to the corresponding petitions and prayer from the rite of baptism. This indicates that the sacrament of baptism and the rite of the Epiphany consecration of water have a genetic link, and the prayer of the Epiphany consecration of water itself is a later processing of the prayer from the rite of the sacrament of baptism. In addition, there is another important similarity between the baptismal consecration of water and the Epiphany consecration, which was emphasized by Protopresbyter I. Meyendorff: “The Byzantine rite of Baptism inherited a strong primordial emphasis on exorcism from Christian antiquity. The deliberate rejection of Satan, the sacramental expulsion of the forces of evil from the soul of the baptized person meant the transition from slavery under the rule of “the prince of this world” to freedom in Christ. Liturgical exorcisms, however, did not only refer to the demonic forces that rule the human soul. The “Great Consecration of Water” on the Feast of the Epiphany cleans the cosmos from demons, the fundamental principle of which, water, is seen as a refuge for “hidden evil spirits”.

After the end of the prayer, the priest three times immerses the cross in the water with the troparion singing "In the Jordan, the Lord baptizing you ..." and then sprinkles the people with holy water. At the end of the sprinkling, the choir sings the stichera "Let us sing, faithfully, majesty the goodness of God for us ... Let us draw water with joy to the brethren: the grace of the Spirit who truly draws is invisibly given from Christ God, and the Savior of our souls."

The small consecration of water according to the charter of the Orthodox Church is performed on the feasts of the Prepolition of Pentecost, the Origin (wear) of the venerable trees of the life-giving Cross of the Lord (August 1/14 - therefore sometimes this rite is also called the "August consecration"). Small consecration of water is also supposed to be performed on the days of patronal holidays, before the beginning of the consecration of the temple, as well as at any time when the clergy and church people have a need for holy water.

Holy water is used in church services. Many people use it at home, for example, when treating sick people. Scientists have studied holy water and found out why it is holy.

Why doesn't holy water get spoiled?

Holy water acquires its unusual properties after the consecration ritual. Some natural springs are also considered holy - people come to them in order to collect healing water for home. Once a year, water becomes sacred in all natural sources, this happens on the Orthodox holiday - January 19.

Scientists conducted research on holy water from a holy source and from a church and found that it has different electromagnetic characteristics from ordinary water, similar to those that radiate from the body of a healthy and full of human strength.

The fact that holy water does not deteriorate does not have an unambiguous scientific explanation. Some natural holy springs have an increased content of silver, which disinfects the water and prevents it from deteriorating. However, in churches, water for consecration is taken from an ordinary tap, but it also stands for a long time without signs of deterioration.

The answer to the question of why holy water does not deteriorate, perhaps, is to change its structure. The molecular structure of holy water is different from that of ordinary water. After freezing, holy water forms crystals of perfect shape, while crystals of ordinary water can be vague, broken and uneven.

The power of holy water

The power of holy water has long been used by people to heal from diseases, protect from the influences of the external environment and strengthen the spirit. There are many known cases of miraculous cure after swimming in an ice-hole for Epiphany. Bioenergetics noted that after drinking holy water, a person's biological field increases, his physical and energy indicators improve.

The saint advised sick people to take consecrated water, one tablespoon every hour. He said that there is no better medicine than holy water.

There are two types of water blessing - great blessing and small.

When there is a great consecration of water

The Great Blessing of Water occurs only twice a year. On the day of Epiphany Eve (January 18) and on the Epiphany of the Lord (January 19). Blessing of water on Christmas Eve takes place in the morning after the end of the liturgy, and the rite of the great hagiasma for Epiphany is carried out either on the night of the 19th, or in the morning of the same date, but always after the festive liturgy.

When there is little blessing of water

Small blessings of water happen several times a year. So, on light () Easter water is blessed. This occurs during Easter week, when the Church celebrates the memory of the Mother of God the Life-Giving Spring.

The small consecration of water is considered mandatory on the Passing of the Holy Cross of the Lord (August 14) and the Prepolation of Pentecost (25 days after Easter)

In some churches, the rite of blessing water can be carried out on patronal holidays or on days of remembrance of revered saints (for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker). There is also the practice of small water consecration per day, the solemn consecration of the entire temple.

There is a tradition of holy prayers at miraculous springs and springs. This happens on the days of remembrance of the revered saints and icons of the Mother of God.

On other days, the consecration of water in the temple can also be observed. Believers can