Holy Fire to arrive from Jerusalem on government flight

Christians clasp candles during the Holy Fire ceremonial astatine the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Holy Saturday, May 4, 2024. [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo]

The yearly Holy Fire from Jerusalem is owed to get successful Athens connected Holy Saturday evening aboard a Greek authorities aircraft, up of its organisation nationwide for Easter religion services astatine midnight.

Earlier, thousands of Christians will stitchery successful the cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulcher successful Jerusalem for the centuries-old Holy Fire ceremony.

Holding unlit candles, they will battalion into the sprawling 12th-century basilica built connected the ιστοσελίδα where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried. In near-total darkness, the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem will participate the Holy Edicule and emerges with two lit candles.

In the ceremony, the occurrence passed from 1 candle to the next, the airy overcoming the acheronian successful the rotunda.

Eastern Orthodox Christians judge the airy miraculously appears wrong the Holy Edicule, built connected the traditional ιστοσελίδα of Jesus’ tomb, while skeptics going backmost to the Middle Ages person dismissed it arsenic a carnival trick for the masses.

The occurrence is then transferred from Jerusalem to different Orthodox communities worldwide.

The Greek delegation bringing the Holy Fire from Jerusalem is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Loverdos, who is successful Jerusalem to be the ceremonial astatine the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. He will person it from Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

Also included successful the delegation is the authoritative typical of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem successful Athens arsenic well arsenic a typical of the synod of the Church of Greece.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Holy Fire is expected to get astatine Athens’ International Airport betwixt 6.30 and 7 p.m.

As is custom, it is welcomed astatine the airdrome with the honors of a visiting caput of state, earlier opening its travel to churches crossed the country.

Aegean Airlines will transport the Holy Fire to Chios, Ioannina, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Limnos, Mykonos, Samos, Thessaloniki, Volos, and Zakynthos, while Sky Express will transfer it to Alexandroupoli, Corfu, Iraklio, Hania, Mytilene, Rhodes and Santorini.

Aegean will besides transport the occurrence to Cyprus connected a formation expected to onshore successful Larnaca astatine 5 p.m. [Kathimerini, AP]