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Questions & Answers

Ghalilaon

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship › Ghalilaon

The question

What is the use and the meaning of the Ghalilaon Oil in the church?

The answer

The word Ghalilon is derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning the 'oil of Joy' or 'oil of rejoicing'. A person is anointed with this oil before his baptism in the ritual of repudiating Satan. Its function is to ward off any bad spirits that might want to lead astray the one being anointed, or if he is an adult, try to plant blasphemous thought in his mind. As the priest anoints the person with the Ghalilaon he recites 'I anoint you with the oil of joy...to be planted in the sweet olive tree before your baptism'.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1023 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.