Holy water in Eastern Christianity

Some still flow to this day, such as the one at Pochaev Lavra in Ukraine, and the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos in Constantinople (commemorated annually with the blessing of holy water on Bright Friday).

In Russia, it is common for Orthodox Christians to bring newly bought cars to the church for blessing.

It is traditional to keep a quantity of it at home, and many Orthodox Christians will drink a small amount daily with their morning prayers.

The use of holy water is based on the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the Orthodox interpretation of this event.

Again, this practice is meant to visibly represent God's sanctifying work in all parts of the people's lives.

This is sung just as at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, but with the following additional petitions which make clear what is being asked of God and what the use, purpose, and blessing of the water is believed to entail.

Then, following a lengthy set of didactic prayers that expound on the nature of the feast and summarize salvation history, praising God's creation of and mastery over the elements, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the water with his hand and prays specifically for the blessing to be invoked upon it.

All come forward to be sprinkled over the head with the Theophany Water as they kiss the hand cross, and to drink some of it.

The scriptural readings are different (Hebrews 2:11–18, John 5:1–4), and the special petitions at the Great Litany are different: Then the priest says a prayer very similar to the one used at Theophany, but when he immerses the hand cross into the water three times, instead of singing the troparion of Theophany, he sings the troparion of the Cross: Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, granting unto the faithful victory over enemies.

The Coptics also sprinkle the faithful with holy water on Palm Sunday, and at the end of every Divine Liturgy.