Aspergillum

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Aspergillum

An aspergillum (less commonly, aspergilium or aspergil) is a liturgical

Liturgy

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Mass , or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish Jewish services....
implement used to sprinkle holy water

Holy Water

Holy Water is a studio album by hard rock band Bad Company, with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist, released in June of 1990 ....
. It comes in two common forms: a brush that is dipped in the water and shaken, and a perforated ball at the end of a short handle. Some have sponges or internal reservoirs that dispense holy water when shaken, while others must be dipped in an aspersorium (holy water bucket) periodically.

An aspergillum is used in Roman Catholic and Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition of Christianity faith. Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs, worship and church structures....
ceremonies, including the Rite of Baptism

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
and during the Easter Season

Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
.

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An aspergillum (less commonly, aspergilium or aspergil) is a liturgical

Liturgy

Holy Water

Anglicanism

Baptism

Easter

Palm Sunday

Image:Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo 002.jpg|thumb|300px|'The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem' mosaic by the Master of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo .]]...
services. At a requiem

Requiem

The Requiem or Requiem Mass , also known formally in Latin as the Missa pro defunctis or Missa defunctorum , is a liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, Anglo-Catholic Anglicans, and certain Lutheran Church Churches in the United States....
, if a casket is present, the priest will sprinkle holy water on the casket. The aspergillum can be used in other manners where sprinkling of holy water is appropriate, such as a house blessing where the priest might bless the entry to the home. The name derives from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
verb aspergere, "to sprinkle".

The form of the aspergillum differs in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
. In the Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox Church

The term Greek Orthodox Church refers to several churches within the larger full communion of Eastern Orthodox Church Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition and whose liturgy is traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament....
the aspergillum (randistirion) is in the form of a standing vessel with a tapering lid. The top of the lid has holes in it from which the water is sprinkled. In the Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church ; or The Moscow Patriarchate , also known as the Orthodox Christian Church of Russia, is a body of Christianity who constitute an Autocephaly Eastern Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow, in full communion with the other Eastern Orthodox Churches....
the aspergillium is in the form of a whisk

Fly-whisk

A fly-whisk is a tool to swat or disturb flies. It is used as a regalia in some cultures.In Indonesian art, a fly-whisk is one of the items associated with Shiva....
made of cloth or hair. Sometimes, sprigs of basil

Basil

Basil , of the Family Lamiaceae. Basil is a tender low-growing herb that is grown as a Perennial plant in warm, tropical climates. Basil is originally native to Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years....
are used to sprinkle holy water. In some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, no aspergillum is used, but the priest will pour holy water into the palm of his right hand and throw it on the faithful.

The aspergillium is also used by some Wiccans and other Witches to cleanse the ritual area (known as a Circle) prior to one of eight seasonal rituals, known as Sabbats, or a spell

Spell

Spell can be:*Magic #Varieties of magical practice*Recipe*The Spell, a novel*Spell , a musical group consisting of Boyd Rice and Rose McDowall...
. Lunarized water, saltwater, or rainwater is used as opposed to Christian holy water.

The aspergillum has also been featured in many role-playing games as a method for fighting the undead

Undead

Undead is a collective name for fictional or legendary beings that are deceased yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or Body, such as vampires and zombies....
, vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythology or folklore Revenant who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. In folkloric tales, the undead vampires often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods they inhabited when they were alive....
s, demon

Demon

In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as a malevolent spirit. In Christian terms demons are generally understood as fallen angels, formerly of God....
s or any other number of mythical creatures traditionally affected by holy water.

Aspergillus
Aspergillus

Aspergillus is a genus of around 200 molds found throughout much of nature worldwide. Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli....
, a genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of mold

Mold

Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of Multicellular organism filaments, called hyphae. In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts....
, was named in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pietro Antonio Micheli. When viewed under a microscope, the mold cells were said to resemble an aspergillum.