A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 15 - Tuesday, April 13th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Orthodox Christians Celebrate HolidayJERUSALEM (AP) -- A sea of candles and torches illuminated Christianity's holiest shrine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as thousands of pilgrims participated in Saturday's holy fire ceremony, a key ritual of Easter Week. The shrine, marking the site where tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried, was especially packed because Western and Orthodox churches, which follow different calendars, celebrate Easter on the same day this year. Only the Orthodox churches traditionally participate in the ceremony. At the start of the ceremony, church leaders descended into the underground burial area. The faithful clutched their bundles of unlit candles and torches while waiting in the darkened church for a flame to emerge from the tomb. Some Christians believe the flame appears spontaneously, as a message from Jesus that he has not forgotten his followers. When church leaders emerged with a lighted torch, a cheer arose, and the flames were passed around, illuminating the church within seconds. Many believers held their hands in the fire from their candles, some even ``washed'' their faces with the holy flames without wincing as the church bells pealed to signify the miracle had again occurred. Security around the church was tight, with dozens of police officers guarding the event and hundreds of worshippers forced to wait behind police barricades. Greek TV showed pictures of Israeli police and Greek guards scuffling briefly. The guards were surrounding the Greek Orthodox patriarch, Eireneos, and representatives of the Greek government, including Deputy Foreign Minister Panayiotis Skandalidis, the TV report said. Police limited attendance fearing that overcrowding could be a fire hazard to the ancient basilica. But those outside eventually received their fire and some carried their candles through the streets, with melting candle wax covering their hands. Angelo Stergiou, 28, a Greek Orthodox physician from Hagen, Germany, was still holding his lit candle as he left the Old City through the Jaffa Gate. ``It's a memorable experience that every Christian should experience at least once in his lifetime,'' Stergiou said. During the ceremony two years ago, the Greek patriarch and an Armenian clergyman designated to enter the tomb began to exchange blows following a dispute over who should exit the chamber first.
Custody of the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher is shared by a number
of denominations that jealously guard their
responsibilities under a fragile network of
agreements hammered out over the last millennia.
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