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Taught by teachers of the bishopric seminaries who carried the new attitudes, the lower priesthood showed a completely novel, far more sceptical relation to ideas about the incessant working of demonic powers in this world than their predecessors had done who willingly wielded the arsenal of benedictions and exorcisms against such evil doings. The use of ‘special’ and ‘alternative’ scramentals was gradually withdrawn from the practise first of lay priests and then of monastic orders. Naturally, this withdrawal was not full-ranging or final. Ethnographic field work of the 20°-21" century still occasionally reports clerical practice which serves the demands of the believers by offering benedictions and even creating new texts for blessings (particularly along the edges of the Hungarian speaking area). In the background to these phenomena we may assume the influence (mostly an invigorating reverse influence) of orthodoxy with its unbroken preservation of the clerical activity of blessings and curses. The types of benedictions contained in the reader (according to orientation) are the following: I. Blessings and exorcisms of the elements 1. Water a) general ) solemn blessing of the water (Epiphany) ) baptismal water ) water of St. Ignatius e) water of St. Francis of Xavier f) water of St. Didäk g) on St. Agatha’s day against fire h) blessing agains bewitchment i) blessing the water to avert a curse of muteness j) blessing to avert floods 2. Fire a) blessing the fire on Good Saturday b) fire to burn objects that carry evil charms c) exorcism against fire 3. Air a) a procession to induce rain b) procession for a cloudless sky averting storms with prayers blessing and exorcising storms against impending storm, thunder, lightening, hail or stormy wind b c d Ye e e c d e f) blessing the air on Sundays and holidays during summer 446
