Overview of the Holy Fire Ceremony

Every year on Orthodox Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to pray over the slab where Jesus was buried. He emerges from the tomb holding two lit candles, which symbolizes the light of the resurrected Christ. The fire from these candles is then shared with gathered pilgrims, lighting up the entire church. Special emissaries from various nations also take the fire back to their countries. This ceremony is a significant and spiritually significant event.