Reuters-Orthodox Christian worshippers celebrated Easter's Holy Fire ceremony on Saturday (May 1) at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, gathering in far greater numbers than last year because coronavirus restrictions have eased.
This season's religious holidays in the Holy Land, home to religious sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, have been overshadowed by tragedy, as Israel mourns the death of 45 Jewish worshippers killed in a stampede overnight between Thursday (April 29) and Friday (April 30) at a religious festival in the north of the country. Children were among the casualties.
The Holy Fire is considered a miracle occurring every year on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter Sunday. At exactly 2pm local time every year, a sunbeam is believed to shine through the window in the ceiling of the church and light a lamp placed in the tomb.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, then lights a few candles with the holy fire, and passes them on to worshippers inside the church.
With Jerusalem under lockdown last year's Holy Fire ceremony was held in the near-empty church that is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus's crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
Israel's swift vaccination drive has largely beaten back the pandemic in the past few months, allowing for restrictions on gatherings to be greatly eased as officials plan a resumption of international tourism in the coming months.
This year Israeli Police allowed the entrance to 2500 Christians into the Church.
Traditionally, an olive lamp lit by the "Holy Fire" is transferred soon after the ceremony to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
