On Saturday, 19 April, the eve of Orthodox Easter, the descent of the Holy Fire took place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Traditionally, thousands of believers from all over the world gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to witness this phenomenon.
The ceremony was conducted by the Greek Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate and the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The ceremony began with a procession with the participation of priests of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Syriac and Coptic Churches.
According to tradition, representatives of all Christian Churches inspected and sealed the Kuvukliya, where the Holy Fire was to descend. There should be no fire in it and no way to light it.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem entered the Kubuclion with torches and 33 candles symbolising the number of years of Jesus at the time of his death. After the prayer, the Holy Fire descended on the candles and torches.
The fire lit at the temple in Jerusalem will be spread by Orthodox dioceses around the world.