This is a miracle that occurs every year on Great Saturday. The Holy Light (or Holy Fire) appears every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Great Saturday (Holy Saturday), the day preceding the Orthodox Easter and Jesus Resurrection. A miracle that delights the believers and wonders the non-believers. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch receives the light, which is later transported to Athens with a special flight. Every Holy Saturday at 6:30 pm. From Athens airport it is distributed to every church across the country.
Exactly at 12 o’clock noon, the Greek Orthodox patriarch, march in grand and solemn procession with their own clergies, while singing hymns. They march three times round the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Once the procession has ended, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem or another Orthodox Archbishop recites a specific prayer, removes his robes and enters alone into the sepulchre. Before entering the Tomb of Christ, the patriarch is examined by Jewish Israeli authorities to prove that he does not carry technical means to light the fire.
The congregation subsequently chants Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy” in Greek) until the Holy Fire spontaneously descends on 33 white candles tied together by the Patriarch while he is alone inside the tomb chamber of Jesus. The patriarch then reveals himself from the tomb chamber and recites some prayers, before he lights either 33 or 12 candles and distributes them to the congregation. The fire is considered by believers to be the flame of the Resurrection power, as well as the fire of the Burning Bush of Mount Sinai.
Video: Moment of Holy Light Appearance – Jerusalem 2010
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Pilgrims and worshipers claim the Holy Fire does not burn their hair, faces, clothes or anything else during the first 33 minutes of its appearance.
Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem described the process of the coming down of the fire as follows:
I find my way through the darkness towards the inner chamber in which I fall on my knees. Here I say certain prayers that have been handed down to us through the centuries and, having said them, I wait. Sometimes I may wait a few minutes, but normally the miracle happens immediately after I have said the prayers. From the core of the very stone on which Jesus lay an indefinable light pours forth. It usually has a blue tint, but the color may change and take many different hues. It cannot be described in human terms. The light rises out of the stone as mist may rise out of a lake it almost looks as if the stone is covered by a moist cloud, but it is light. This light each year behaves differently. Sometimes it covers just the stone, while other times it gives light to the whole sepulchre, so that people who stand outside the tomb and look into it will see it filled with light. The light does not burn. I have never had my beard burnt in all the 16 years I have been Patriarch in Jerusalem and have received the Holy Fire. The light is of a different consistency than normal fire that burns in an oil lamp.
At a certain point the light rises and forms a column in which the fire is of a different nature, so that I am able to light my candles from it. When I thus have received the flame on my candles, I go out and give the fire first to the Armenian Patriarch and then to the Coptic. Hereafter I give the flame to all people present in the Church.” (info and source: wikipedia)
PS The whole procession takes place under the Argus eyes of the Armenian Archibishop. According to legend, should the Holy Light does not light the 33 candles held by the Greek Orthodox patriarch , the Armenian patriarch will claim the Holy Light. However the miracle occurs every year. Thank God 🙂
