From the “news you can use” department. As reported in the Moscow Times, 117 people were hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in Irkutsk in Siberia:
More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in Irkutsk, an official said Monday.
A total of 117 people, including 48 children, were in the hospital complaining of acute intestinal pain after drinking water from wells in and around a local church last week, said Vladimir Salovarov, a spokesman for the Irkutsk branch of the Investigative Committee.
Salovarov said 204 people required some medical treatment after consuming the water, the source of which was a stagnant lake. He said, however, that it was too early to say what caused the illness.
Many Russians consider any water obtained on Epiphany — which they celebrate on Jan. 19 — to be holy.
Note to the file – it’s probably not a good idea to drink stagnant lake water – Epiphany or not.
Another note to the file: be sure to check the wiring in the baptistry before dunking a convert.
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