First of all, the cloth you are referring to is called an “aer.” It is a large veil that drapes over both the chalice and the diskos as a means of protection from dirt, dust, or insects. Its name means “air” in Greek and perhaps was so named because the connotation behind the word meant pure, clean, fresh air (unpolluted – the type the pagan Greeks believed their gods breathed), which is created and circulated by waving it.
Although there are perhaps a myriad of answers as to why it is ceremoniously fanned over the Gifts during the Creed, the reality is far from a mystery. The liturgical action of waving the aer is simply a remnant of when the priest (and/or deacons with fans) would perform this action as a means to keep insects away from the chalice. Over the years, however, a vast number of spiritually-enhanced explanations regarding this action have claimed that it symbolizes:
- The presence of the Holy Spirit which “descends” during the time of the Anaphora
- The shroud Christ was wrapped in after His death on the Cross
- The stone which is rolled away from our Lord’s tomb at the time of the Resurrection
- And even something akin to a victory flag being unfurled.
