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==History==
=== Kirtland Period ===
As the [[Latter Day Saints]] were completing their [[Kirtland Temple|first temple]] in [[Kirtland, Ohio]], founder [[Joseph Smith]] led many of the prominent male church members in a pre-endowment ritual patterned after similar washings and anointings described in the Bible.<ref name = buerger35>{{Harvtxt|Buerger|1987|p=35}}.</ref> This ritual took place beginning on 21 January 1836 in the attic of a printing office.<ref name = buerger35/> Their bodies were washed with water and anointed with perfume, and then their heads were anointed with [[chrism|consecrated oil]].<ref name = buerger35/> Soon after the temple's dedication ceremony on 27 March 1836, about 300 Mormon men participated in a further ritual [[Maundy (foot washing)|washing of feet]] and faces.<ref name = buerger35/>
=== Nauvoo Period ===
Several years later, after Latter Day Saints moved to [[Nauvoo, Illinois]], Smith revised the washing and anointing rituals as part of the new [[Endowment (Mormonism)|Nauvoo endowment]].<ref name = buerger35/> On 4–5 May 1842, nine prominent male church members were inducted into this endowment ceremony in the upper story of Smith's store.<ref name = buerger35/> The first woman (Smith's first wife, [[Emma Hale Smith|Emma]]) was inducted into the endowment ceremony on 28 September 1843.
As the washings and anointings were practiced in Nauvoo, men and women were taken to separate rooms, where they disrobed and, when called upon, passed through a canvas curtain to enter a tub where they were washed from head to foot while words of blessing were recited.<ref name = ABVW>{{Harvtxt|Anderson|Bergera|Van Wagoner|2005}}.</ref> Then oil from a horn was poured over the head of the participant, usually by another officiator, while similar words were repeated.<ref name = ABVW/> As part of the ceremony, participants were ordained to become kings and queens in eternity.<ref name = ABVW/> Men performed the ritual for men, and women performed the ritual for women.<ref name = ABVW/> Also, as part of the ceremony, participants were given a new name and a [[temple garment|ritual undergarment]] in which symbolic marks were snipped into the fabric.<ref name = ABVW/><ref>{{Harvtxt|Buerger|1987|p=56}}.</ref>
=== Early-Utah Period ===
After the Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo, women continued to administer washings and anointings in their homes as well as in temples. The in home rituals were part of a practice of administering to the sick.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Newell |first=Linda King |date=December 1999 |title=A Gift Given: A Gift Taken Washing, Anointing, and Blessing the Sick Among Mormon Women |url=https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/115-6-30-43.pdf |journal=[[Sunstone Magazine]] |issue=115 |pages=30-43}}</ref> These washings and anointings were encouraged by church leaders of the time including [[Brigham Young]].<ref name=":0" /> In one instance [[Ezra Taft Benson]] called on women who were ordained to wash and anoint to get rid of a disease affecting the [[Cache Valley]].<ref name=":0" /> This practice of washing and anointing in the home was curtailed in the 1880s and by the April 1921 [[General Conference (LDS Church)|General Conference]], the consensus was that [[Priesthood blessing|Priesthood blessings]] by Melchizedek Priesthood holders should be sought whenever possible.<ref name=":0" /> In 1946 [[Joseph Fielding Smith]] sent a letter to [[Belle S. Spafford]] these washings and anointings were discouraged.<ref name=":0" />
Originally, the recipient of the washing and anointing was naked during the ceremony.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Beginning in the 20th century, recipients were given a white [[poncho]]-like "shield" to wear during the washing and anointing.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Since 2005, participants in the LDS Church-version of the ritual already come clothed in the temple garment and wear it during the washing and anointing. In the original version of the ceremony, water and oil were applied to various parts of the body by the officiator as specific blessings related to the body parts were mentioned; since the early-21st century, the water and oil are applied only to the head and the symbolic nature of the washing and anointing is emphasized as the blessings for the body parts are related.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}
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