Holy Fire ceremony

Spreading the Holy Fire around the
Empty Tomb

The weather has gone utterly berserk!!! From 30 degrees it dropped to 8 degrees in the afternoon! And then there was a freak hailstorm ... so heavy the noise was unbelievable and people were running outdoors to see what it was. I thought shrapnel from a bomb had exploded near my window. I think several windows from nearby buildings have been smashed. And after the hailstorm, it drizzled all night. The temperature was no higher than 8 degrees.

But the strange weather did not dampen the Orthodox christian Holy Saturday. At 2.20pm the bells of the Holy Sepulchre basilica were ringing madly ... the Holy Fire had descended into the Empty Tomb and people were sharing it all round. I heard the crowds in the Holy Sepulchre basilica were much more than last year. There were scuffles and police had to deal firmly with many pilgrims. Some were dragged off for provoking disturbances. Nothing unusual ... it's normal for every Orthodox Holy Week to witness these fights.

Bird's eyeview of the Empty Tomb
and the Fire spreading

This morning the Orthodox will celebrate their Resurrection liturgy very early in the morning just before sunrise and then everything becomes quiet ... like nothing had happened all week. Pilgrims had already been leaving for the airport last night. For them the ceremony of the Holy Fire is the climax of Holy Week ... it has practically substituted the Resurrection of Christ as the Easter celebration. Strange ... but then again we're in the Middle East. Anything can happen and it usually does.