Orthodox holy fire: The Old Faithful of miracles
It's a Jerusalem tradition with roots that go back millennia. Thousands of congregants gather around a holy building. One man charged with representing the community goes into a room alone, witnesses a miracle affirming faith in God and emerges to throngs of joyful celebrants.This event has ended
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It's a Jerusalem tradition with roots that go back millennia. Thousands of congregants gather around a holy building. One man charged with representing the community goes into a room alone, witnesses a miracle affirming faith in God and emerges to throngs of joyful celebrants.
A re-enactment of Yom Kippur during Temple times? Close, but no cigar. The ceremony is actual the Miracle of the Holy Fire, a widely attended rite based in Jerusalem, but virtually unknown outside the Eastern Orthodox world. The miracle always takes place on the Saturday before the Greek Orthodox Easter, and contains no bunnies, eggs or chocolate manifestations of either (an Easter miracle in and of itself).
Supposedly, every year, a holy blue light descends into the tomb of Jesus, which the Greek Patriarch captures with two candles. Once the patriarch comes back into the crowd, all hell - or heaven - breaks loose as the multitudes shout with joy and clamor to touch the magical fire, which can leap all over the place and won't harm anyone (though we don't recommend testing its limits). The fire is then taken to Greece Olympics style and spread to churches there.
Its customary for many to camp out in front of the church starting from Friday, to make sure they get the best seats in the house.
Proponents claim the miracle is more regularly scheduled than Old Faithful. It starts off with the small community of Christian Arabs chanting and dancing at the Old City's Church of the Holy Sepulchre from 11 a.m. until 1, when the Greek Patriarch shows up on the scene with his entourage. Before entering the church's tomb, a group of Israeli authorities are supposed to check things out, as Turkish soldiers used to do, and maybe Romans before them. They are probably also there to make sure no fights break out, as differing sects have been known to tussle over how exactly to perform the miracle. The robed holy men who make the Old city home may look harmless, but have been known to stand their ground in order to protect their coveted territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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