Thousands of Christians gathered in the Cavernosa Church of the Holy Sepulcher for a Sacred Fire Ceremony of Centuries.
Holding off candles, they packed in the expansion of the 12th century basilica at the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried.
In the almost total darkness, the Greek patriarch entered the sacred edition and emerged with two burning candles. The flame passed a candle to the next, the light that overcomes darkness in the roundabout. The flame later transferred to Orthodox communities in other countries on special flights.
Oriental Orthodox Christians believe that light appears miraculously inside the sacred edicle, built on the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb, while the skeptics that return to the Middle Ages have a carnival trick for the masses.
Anyway, the ceremony, which dates back to at least 1,200 years, is a show for the view. He has also turned on safety conerns.
In 1834, a frantic stampede broke out in the dark church, and the ruler of the Holy Earth at that time just escaped after his guards opened swords and made their way through the crowd, the historian Simon Sebag Montefiore counts. Some 400 pilgrims died in melee combat, most of the suffocation or trampling.
Israeli authorities have tried to limit participants in recent years, citing security concerns. That has attracted the protests of the church leaders, who have accused them of disturbing the delicate and not writers around the sacred sites of Jerusalem known as the status quo.
On Saturday, there was a strong military presence when thousands of faithful went through the Israeli control points to enter.
Some faithful regretted that participation lacked numbers this year due to the 18 -month war in Israel in Gaza. “The number of police is higher than the number of pilgrims,” said Adeb Joue, key holder of the Holy Sepulcher.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the old city with main sacred sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the Middle East War of 1967, and annexed it in a movement that does not recognize international. The Palestinians want Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.
The old city has a long history of tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians, among the different religious groups that share their mountainous confines and even within certain religions. The infractions perceived in the status quo in the church of the Holy Sepulcher have led fights among monks of different denominations.
Israel says that he is committed to guaranteeing freedom of worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims, and that for a long time he has presented himself as an island of tolerance in the Middle East.
In recent years, however, tensions have increased with the local Christian community, most of which are Palestinian Christians, a population that has decreased through decades of conflict, since many have moved abroad.