Editing Basil (section)

=== Religion ===
[[File:WHH Isabella Pot of Basil DelArt.jpg|thumb|''Isabella and the Pot of Basil'', William Holman Hunt, 1868]]
There are many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. The [[ancient Egypt]]ians and ancient Greeks believed basil would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.<ref name="Nelson-Shellenbarger2013">{{Cite book |last=Nelson-Shellenbarger |first=Robin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kS1kIC1IhcC&pg=PT38 |title=Family Herbal Wellness |date=25 February 2013 |publisher=Booktango |isbn=978-1-4689-2481-7 |pages=38– |access-date=2 August 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=This is a book about herbalism and alternative medicine, not about ancient history.|date=March 2022}} However, [[Herbalist]] [[Nicholas Culpeper]] saw basil as a plant of dread and suspicion.{{why|date=March 2022}}<ref name="GL">{{Cite book |last=Bill Neal |title=Gardener's Latin |date=1992 |publisher=[[Robert Hale (publishers)|Robert Hale]] |isbn=0709051069 |location=London |page=16}}</ref>

In [[Portugal]], dwarf bush basil is traditionally presented in a pot, together with a poem and a paper [[carnation]], to a sweetheart, on the religious holidays of [[John the Baptist]] (see {{Section link|Saint John's Eve|Portugal}}) and Saint [[Anthony of Padua]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Basil has religious significance in the [[Greek Orthodox Church]], where it is used to sprinkle holy water.<ref name="blessing-of-the-waters">{{Cite web |title=Blessing of the Waters known as Agiasmos conducted by a Greek Orthodox priest |url=http://www.completely-crete.com/blessing-of-the-waters.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307021718/http://www.completely-crete.com/blessing-of-the-waters.html |archive-date=7 March 2012 |access-date=2012-09-10}}</ref> The [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]] and [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] use basil ({{langx|bg|босилек}}, {{Transliteration|bg|bosilek}}; {{langx|sr|босиљак}}, {{Transliteration|sr|bosiljak}}; {{langx|mk|босилек}}, {{Transliteration|mk|bosilek}}) to prepare holy water and pots of basil are often placed below church altars.<ref name="MacDermott1998">{{Cite book |last=Mercia MacDermott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gh4IE6toGJMC&pg=PA114 |title=Bulgarian Folk Customs |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |date=1998 |isbn=978-1-85302-485-6 |pages=114– |access-date=2 August 2013}}</ref> Some Greek Orthodox Christians avoid eating it due to its association with the legend of the [[Elevation of the Holy Cross]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Complete Book of Greek Cooking |publisher=HarperPerennial |date=1991 |isbn=9780060921293 |pages=7}}</ref>