Thousands of Orthodox Christians gathered on Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City to take part in the ancient Holy Fire ceremony, a central Easter tradition believed by many to be a miraculous occurrence.
Pilgrims from across the world packed into the 12th-century basilica, which tradition holds is built over the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and burial. In near-total darkness, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch entered the Holy Edicule – the small shrine that houses the traditional site of Christ’s tomb – and emerged with two lit candles, said to be miraculously ignited. The flame was then passed from candle to candle, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness, and later flown to Orthodox communities abroad.
The ceremony, which dates back at least 1,200 years, remains a powerful visual and spiritual spectacle. However, its authenticity has long been questioned by sceptics, who have dismissed the event as a staged ritual. Regardless of belief, the ceremony continues to draw large crowds and carry deep significance.
The ritual has a troubled history. In 1834, a stampede during the ceremony killed around 400 pilgrims, prompting tighter crowd controls in recent years. Citing safety concerns, Israeli authorities have imposed limits on attendance, sparking criticism from church leaders who say such actions disrupt the fragile, centuries-old status quo governing Jerusalem’s holy sites.
This year, a visible and heavy security presence greeted worshippers as they passed through multiple Israeli checkpoints. “The number of police is higher than the number of pilgrims,” said Adeeb Joude, a custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Many attendees said the turnout was smaller than in previous years, largely due to Israel’s ongoing 18-month military campaign in Gaza, which has weighed heavily on the local Christian community—many of whom are Palestinian.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in East Jerusalem’s Old City, an area captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in a move not recognised by most of the international community. The Old City is home to several of the world’s most revered religious sites and has long been a flashpoint of tension among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, as well as between various Christian denominations.
While Israel maintains it protects freedom of worship, relations with the Christian community have become strained in recent years. Many Palestinian Christians have emigrated due to political instability and social pressures, leaving a dwindling population to uphold centuries-old traditions like the Holy Fire.
Despite the challenges, Saturday’s ceremony went ahead peacefully, reaffirming both the endurance of faith and the complex realities facing religious life in Jerusalem today.
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