The Holy Fire has descended on Holy Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as seen on the Trinitas TV livestream.
The Holy Light descended at about 2:55 PM (7:55 AM Eastern Standard time).
The Holy Fire appeared in the edicule of the Holy Sepulchre after the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, entered there to patiently pray and wait.
After the Fire’s descent, the Patriarch passed the holy gift to the faithful who lit from it their bundles of 33 candles, per the age of Christ at the time of His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
The descent of the Light was preceded by a complex ceremony: The doors of the Sepulchre were sealed with a large wax seal as a sign that its inspection had finished, and in it was found nothing that would allow the Patriarch of Jerusalem to light the Fire by any ordinary means.
The Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Thousands of Eastern Orthodox Christians from around the world participated in the Holy Fire Ceremony in Jerusalem 🇮🇱
We wish all those celebrating Orthodox Easter a safe and peaceful holiday pic.twitter.com/CM7YD3SePW
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 15, 2023
Shortly before the arrival of Patriarch Theophilos, the seal was removed from the door of the edicule, and a large lampada and 33 candles were carried into the Tomb. Then the Patriarch entered and began to wait. Those present continually prayed for the granting of the Fire until the time of its appearing.
The Holy Fire will be brought to Romania by a delegation led by the V. Rev. Archimandrite Teofil Anastasoaie, the superior of the Romanian Settlements in the Holy Land.
The Holy Fire will be distributed at Bucharest’s International Airport to delegations of the Romanian Patriarchate’s dioceses.
Photography courtesy of the Jerusalem Patriarchate
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