What is the Ceremony of Holy Light?
The Ceremony of Holy Light. (Photo credit Daniels 97, Wikimedia Commons)
Most Christians outside of the Orthodox Church know little about the Ceremony of Holy Light, also known as the Ceremony of Holy Fire, but it is one of the most sacred rituals in Orthodox Christianity, and dates back to at least the 8th century.
Every Easter, known as Pascha among Orthodox Christians, on Easter Saturday (celebrated on 23rd April this year), holy light is said to miraculously appear in the Tomb of Christ (the Aedicule) inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch retrieves the light in the form of lit candles from which the holy fire is passed from person to person gathered in the church, each with a candle, and from there is carried to churches across the world.
THE BUILD UP TO THE CEREMONY OF HOLY LIGHT
Tens of thousands of pilgrims from across the world flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (known in the Orthodox Church as the Church of the Resurrection or the Church of Anastasis) to witness the ceremony. The church is packed. The liturgy is so popular that not everyone who wishes to will be able to take part in the liturgy inside the church – many participate in the courtyard immediately outside the main entrance and even in the streets beyond, where metal barriers are placed by Israeli forces to regulate the crowds.
The build-up to the ceremony begins at 10am in the Armenian Cathedral of St James, where the Muslim Joudeh family, key holders of the church of the Holy Sepulchre since at least the 12th century, temporarily entrust the key to the Armenian Patriarch. The Patriarch and other church leaders then process to the Holy Sepulchre, an approximately ten-minute walk. At 11am the key is handed to the Muslim doorkeeper Nuseibeh, who opens the door, and those lucky enough to be allowed in throng the church.
The atmosphere inside is described as electric, abuzz with excitement and anticipation. Pilgrims carry candles with which to receive the holy light and from mid-morning the faithful lift their voices in traditional songs and chanting – led by the Arab Christians, dancing and beating drums.
At 1pm silence falls, and the civil authorities make their way through the closely pressing crowd to the Aedicule, the shrine around the Tomb of Christ. They enter the shrine to check that no source of fire has been left inside it. They then seal the shrine with wax – a ritual that mirrors Matthew’s Gospel account of Roman soldiers sealing Jesus’ tomb to ensure the disciples would not steal his body.
The waiting crowd then begin to chant ‘Christ is Risen’ in many different languages, including Greek, Arabic, Russian, Romanian and English.
THE MIRACLE OF THE HOLY LIGHT
At 1.45pm the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church arrives at the head of a procession of clergy. Slowly they circle the Aedicule three times. His ceremonial robes are then removed and checked to prove he does not carry any hidden sources of fire. The wax seal around the shrine is broken and a single (unlit) oil lamp is taken inside and placed on the stone where Christ’s body is said to have been laid.
Dressed only in a humble white alba (robe) the Greek Patriarch enters the Aedicule carrying two bundles of unlit candles. Each bundle contains 33 candles, symbolising the 33 years of Jesus’ life. He kneels before the stone and prays, reciting an ancient prayer passed down through the centuries.
Opinion varies on exactly what happens next – and whether it is miraculous or not. Some say that light comes down from the heavens through a skylight in the Aedicule. Others that it emanates from the stone itself. Only the Patriarch is witness to exactly what happens.
When the Patriarch enters the Aedicule, all the lights in the church are extinguished and the expectant, silent crowd waits in darkness. Sometimes the wait is several minutes long; other years it is very quick. When the Patriarch emerges from the Aedicule, his bundles of candles aflame, shouts of joy erupt from the crowd.
The holy fire is used first to light the candles held by the Patriarchs of the Armenian and Coptic Orthodox Church, who are at the entrance to the Aedicule, and then it’s carried out into the crowd. Those nearest push forwards for a chance to light their candle from the Patriarchs. The flame quickly spreads around the church, passing from candle to candle amid shouts of joy.
Over the next few days, the holy fire will also be spread to Orthodox churches across the world as special lanterns are lit for emissaries to carry the flame back to their own countries.
DO OTHER MIRACLES OCCUR?
There have been many eyewitness accounts over the years of pilgrims’ candles miraculously igniting as they wait in the darken church, before the Patriarch has emerged with the holy light.
There is also a belief that the holy fire has special properties and for the first 33 minutes will burn without heat, so the faithful can immerse their faces and hands in the flames without being burnt.
HAS THE CEREMONY OF HOLY LIGHT TAKEN PLACE DURING THE PANDEMIC?
In 2020 the Church of the Holy Sepulchre remained closed to the public at Easter, because of Coronavirus restrictions. However, the Ceremony of Holy Light still took place, with Greek Patriarch HIs Beatitude Theophilos III and a dozen or so senior clergy officiating.
2021 saw a welcome return of the faithful, although travel restrictions meant that those present were mostly locals.
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