Blessing

In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.

Within Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and similar traditions, formal blessings of the church are performed by bishops, priests, and deacons.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical blessings are performed over people, objects, or are given at specific points during divine services.

When blessing an object, the rubrics often instruct Orthodox bishops and priests to make use of such substances as incense and holy water.

[4] For example, the Orthodox Presbyterian Directory for Public Worship states that "Unless necessary, none should depart until after the benediction," and "by his Spirit working through the ministry of the Word, God addresses his people in the call to worship, in the salutation and benediction, in the reading and preaching of the Word, and in the sacraments.

According to the guidelines given by the Vatican's Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments that govern the procedures for liturgical ceremonies, if a Roman Catholic layperson (a lay acolyte or parish administrator, for example) or any non-ordained religious (who is not the superior of the congregation) leads a Sunday service (other than a Mass, which requires a priest to celebrate), such as Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, or celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, he or she does not perform rites or sacraments reserved to the clergy and does not solemnly bless the people as a bishop, priest, or deacon would at the end of the service; an alternative format is used instead.

[7] In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, blessings are given by worthy, male members who hold the Melchizedek priesthood.

In Hinduism Puja is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests.

It is modeled on the idea of giving a gift or offering to a deity or important person and receiving their approval (Ashirvād).

During the naivedya ritual, a devotee makes an offering of a material substance such as flowers, fruits, or sweets.

Darshan is a term meaning 'sight' (in the sense of an instance of seeing or beholding; from a root dṛś 'to see'), vision, apparition, or glimpse.

[citation needed] In Mangala Sutta, Lord Buddha describes 'blessings' that are wholesome personal pursuits or attainments, identified in a progressive manner from the mundane to the ultimate spiritual goal.

In the Russian Orthodox Church pious laymen would go to a starets (elder) to receive his or her blessing before embarking upon any important work or making a major decision in their life.

[12] In Hawaii anything new (a new building, a new stretch of road to be opened, a new garden) receives a blessing by a Hawaiian practitioner (or Kahuna) in a public ceremony (involving also the unwinding of e.g. a maile lei).

[13] In commercial interactions, a seller's good words about the product, such as "I hope you enjoy it," could be considered to be blessings.