The water of the lake became a sacrament, which is the enemy of the evil spirit.
The water consecration initiative was started a few years ago by Balatonlelle parish priest Imre Szűcs. Dozens of people gathered at the boat harbor in Lelle on Saturday evening, and almost everyone took some of the holy Balaton water home with them.
- According to our belief, what is sprinkled with this holy water will be blessed - emphasized Imre Szűcs. – This water can be used for many things. Most often, however, those who go on a very long journey are sprinkled with it. Of course, the apartment can also be consecrated with it.
Since this water was blessed by the priest, it became a sacrament, which is, so to speak, the enemy of the evil spirit.
A person can also bless himself with holy water by reaching into it and making the sign of the cross. It is also used when a person who died at home is placed in the coffin, added the parish priest of Balatonlelle.
Before Imre Szűcs consecrated Lake Balaton, he celebrated mass in the Catholic church in Balatonlelle. The Balaton Vox choir also participated in the ceremony in the packed sanctuary.
The tradition of water consecration dates back to the third century. The feast was known as "Epiphania Domini", the appearance of the Lord. They referred to the birth of Jesus with the holiday. A hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church saw fit to move the birth of Jesus to the invincible day. At Epiphany, the Three Kings were celebrated in the West, and Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River in the East.
The Veszprém Vármegyei Hírportál wrote that a Balaton dedication was also announced for the Nádudvar beach on Sunday morning.
The traditional consecration ceremony was organized by the parish of Aszófő and the local Roman Catholic community with the support of the Archdiocese of Veszprém and the municipality of Balatonudvari. Before the event, the holy mass was held in the church, during which the choir of the Szent László church in Aszófő sang.
On one of the oldest church holidays, water is consecrated in Roman Catholic churches, and Greek Catholics on the banks of rivers and streams. László Obbágy of Rozsály and Béla Pallai of Nagypeleske, together with their congregations, consecrated the waters of the Túr river from the here and the other side of the Szatmár at Nagyhódos.
Délmagyarország reported that the Tisza was consecrated by the Szeged Greek Catholic Parish. The faithful and those interested watched the ceremony from the shore and from the Horthy Boathouse, about which the paper also made a gallery.
Cover image: Balatonszentelés
Source: Sonline.hu/Németh Levente
