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To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, tens of thousands of pilgrims come to Jerusalem. And millions more people around the world follow the video broadcast of the service on TV or online. For the Orthodox, this is the main symbol of the Resurrection of Christ, a sign of life and connection between God and people. “I am with you all the days until the end of the age,” Jesus, who rose from the dead, said to his flock, and the heavenly fire that lights up every year serves as a pledge of this vow for believers. If one day this miracle does not happen, the world, according to church tradition, will soon end.
Icon lamps with the Holy Fire are delivered to different parts of the world, including Our Country. In Moscow, an Easter service is held with him in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
When and where does the Holy Fire descend in 2023
The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place in the most famous temple in Jerusalem, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, or the Holy Sepulcher. It is believed that it was built precisely on the site of the burial and subsequent resurrection of the Savior. The main altar of the temple is a marble chapel – Cuvuklia. It was erected over the cave where the body of Jesus lay.
The convergence of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem takes place on Holy Saturday, on the eve of Orthodox Easter. How long it will take to wait for the descent of the Holy Fire, no one can say – it can be five minutes or several hours.
This year Orthodox Easter falls on April 16th. So, Holy Saturday will fall on 15th number, it is on this day in Jerusalem that the Holy Fire will descend.
History
It is believed that the first witness of the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire was the Apostle Peter. According to legend, he learned about the Resurrection of Christ and went to his tomb. At the place where the body of the Savior lay, the apostle saw an unearthly light illuminating the Holy Sepulcher.
Written sources mention the phenomenon of divine light from the XNUMXth century, including Catholic and Muslim authors. In the XII century, he speaks of the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire and the first pilgrim who left a description of the Holy Land in , hegumen Daniel. “A terrible and bright brilliance came out of the Holy Sepulcher,” writes the monk.
The church service in Jerusalem, at which the Holy Fire descends on the faithful, has been described millions of times by numerous eyewitnesses. They also told about the miracles that, in addition to the actual appearance of heavenly fire, occur at the ceremony. So, according to some testimonies, the believers in the temple and even outside it on the street lit up candles by themselves, bright flashes appeared on the walls in different places, lightning flashed. As for the flame itself, in the first minutes after the appearance it does not burn – the fire can be held in the hands, many even symbolically “wash themselves” with it.
At the same time, the divine origin of fire has been tried many times to dispute and explain from the point of view of physics. But to all the arguments of skeptics, believers give counterarguments. By the way, the temperature of the Holy Fire was even measured several times – in order to understand why it does not burn at first. It turned out that immediately after the onset, the temperature at the flame was 40 degrees Celsius, and after 15 minutes it was over 300 degrees. A scientific interpretation of this phenomenon has not yet been found.
Ceremony
Priests of several Orthodox denominations take part in the service: the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Coptic and Syrian churches. The litany (worship) is led by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It begins with the procession, the hierarchs move to Kuvukliya through all the iconic places of the temple, she herself goes around three times. The day before Kuvuklia is checked and sealed – and, interestingly, the keys to it are kept in a Muslim family.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Armenian Archimandrite enter inside. Moreover, both at the threshold are undressed from their robes and remain only in their cassocks. This is done so that all those present can make sure that they do not have matches or a lighter with them, in a word, nothing that could light a fire. When they find themselves in the tomb, the door to it is sealed – from that moment begins the universal prayer for the granting of the Holy Fire.
Only the Patriarch of Jerusalem approaches the Holy Sepulcher itself, he alone always remains a witness to the very moment of the descent of fire. The Armenian Archimandrite remains in the Limit of the Angel all the time of prayer, behind the wall.
In the tomb there is a lamp and 33 candles (according to the number of years of Christ’s earthly life). From Kuvukliya, the patriarch of Jerusalem carries them out already burning. Those present in the temple pass the Holy Fire to each other, light their candles and lamps from it. A piece of the shrine is brought to different countries by special flights, and entire delegations of believers meet the fire from Jerusalem at airports.
Is it possible for pilgrims to get to the service of the descent of the Holy Fire
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher accommodates ten thousand people, but there are, of course, many more who want to see the miracle with their own eyes or at least be present next to it. During the service on Great Saturday, people gather both in the square in front of the Temple and in the neighboring streets.
The Jerusalem police begin to take measures to ensure the safety of the procession and believers on Friday: the streets are gradually blocked, restrictions on movement are introduced. Naturally, you cannot buy any “tickets” for the service. The entrance to the Old City is strictly controlled to prevent a stampede, several cordons are set up on the way to the shrine. You can get into the temple itself mainly as part of delegations from countries or together with an official pilgrimage group with a special pre-ordered pass.
For many years, the Holy Fire has been brought to Our Country by the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation. The head of its Board of Trustees, Vladimir Yakunin, delivers a lampada to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where Patriarch Kirill serves on the festive night. And everyone can meet the fire on Saturday evening at Vnukovo or pick up a particle of it within a week at the Moscow office of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation.