« Come Get Light »/ Start in Jerusalem Preparations for the Holy Fire Ceremony

Preparations for the sacred fire ceremony on Easter have begun in Jerusalem.

Christian pilgrims have filled the ancient church of the holy tomb to mark the centuries -old tradition, according to which every year on the Great Saturday of Orthodox Easter, the sacred fire is passed on to the believers.

The ceremony will be headed by the Patriarch Theophilos III. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, after lifting his hierarchical garment and dresses with a white garment, enters the dark room with tufts of 33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus Christ’s earthly life, which constitutes the highlight of the ceremony.

There, he stays in prayer for about 15 minutes. A few moments later, it comes out holding the candles lit by the Holy Fire, which marks the resurrection.

The Easter holiday, which symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, usually attracts thousands of worshipers in the church of the Holy Tomb, where Christians believe that Jesus was buried. The tomb is located in the heart of the Old Town Christian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel after the 1967 war, in a movement that is not internationally recognized.

The Palestinians have continued to claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state on the west coast and Gaza since then.