After the Christmas season and before Lent, Orthodox priests have — for centuries — rushed to visit church-members' homes to bless them with prayers and splashes of holy water flung about with a foot-long brush or handfuls of basil.
Droplets of blessed water end up on beds and bookshelves, TVs and toys, potted plants and paintings, along with everything else.
'It's a chance to start over,' said Fath…