Wands or small rods used in a ritual, such as a coronation, or a religious sacrament to anoint a person with sacred oil or chrism. Depending upon the rules of the various rites, anointing wands may be made of simple wood or they may be more decorative, made of precious materials. The practice was known from ancient times. In modern contexts, anointing wands are used most commonly to anoint a sick or dying person in Christian rites. In some rites of the Eastern church, seven cotton-wrapped wands are used to anoint the sick or dying. In Western rites, although the anointing is usually done using the thumb, anointing rods may be used in certain circumstances, such as for the anointing of the sick with contagious diseases.
