Photo: Depositphotos
On Friday, 19 April, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem hosted the annual ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire, one of the central events of Orthodox Easter, which symbolises the Resurrection of Christ.
According to the Israeli police, there were about 9,000 pilgrims in the temple at the same time. To ensure order, hundreds of police officers were deployed to the Old City. For those who did not have special permits, separate observation zones with sheds and seating were set up. This was reported by police spokesman Michael Singerman, Cursorinfo reports.
The ceremony began with the traditional entrance of representatives of the Armenian Catholicos. After viewing the Kuvukliya, a chapel built over the burial place of Jesus Christ, it was solemnly sealed with wax. The church was then filled with Orthodox Arabs who accompanied the service with chants and prayers.
The descent of the Holy Fire takes place every year on Holy Saturday according to the Julian calendar. According to Orthodox belief, the fire appears in the Cenacle in a miraculous way – as a sign of the Divine presence – and it is believed that it does not burn in the first few minutes after its descent.
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, including from Greece, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Serbia and the Middle East, gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the ceremony. A part of the flame is traditionally transferred to delegations for transport to Orthodox countries, where it arrives in special lamps on the eve of the Easter service.
This year’s ceremony took place amid heightened security measures and political tensions in the region. However, despite the challenges, the celebration retained its solemn power and spiritual atmosphere that unites millions of Orthodox believers around the world every year.
