Today in Jerusalem the Holy Light, known in the West as Holy Fire, once again descended into the Tomb of Christ as Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem knelt in prayer within the Holy Sepulchre. This ceremony has taken place just about every year for hundreds of years on Holy Saturday, shortly after 2:30pm. With 33 candles in each hand he distributed the Holy Light to the many present. Following the Holy Light ceremony, the flame is taken by plane to other Orthodox communities in countries such as Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. In Greece the Holy Light is usually received with the welcome of a Head of State.
In pre-COVID years, over 10,000 pilgrims packed the Holy Sepulchre to be witnesses of this miracle. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the ceremony to be closed to the public for the first time since the Black Death in 1349, with only clerics, police, and media present. In 2024, only 4200 people were allowed in the church, due to the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and the resulting logistical problems. In 2025, when Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter together, the Israeli government had issued 6,000 permits to Palestinians.
This year, 2026, many were recently speculating that the ceremony of the Holy Light might not take place, or at least might not be open to the public, due to the conflict with Iran, which about 40 days ago forced the Israeli government to close the primary Christian, Jewish and Muslim shrines in Jerusalem to the publicfor safety reasons, among them being the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Yesterday, however, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem had called on Palestinian Christians to participate in the Holy Light celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, though access remained severely restricted. Israeli forces turned large parts of Jerusalem, particularly the Damascus Gate area and the Old City neighborhoods, into a military zone on Saturday, deploying numerous checkpoints. Soldiers stopped many Palestinians, inspected their identity cards, and prevented numerous young men from entering the area. Though the ceremony took place as usual, with many in attendance from all around the world.
In pre-COVID years, over 10,000 pilgrims packed the Holy Sepulchre to be witnesses of this miracle. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the ceremony to be closed to the public for the first time since the Black Death in 1349, with only clerics, police, and media present. In 2024, only 4200 people were allowed in the church, due to the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and the resulting logistical problems. In 2025, when Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter together, the Israeli government had issued 6,000 permits to Palestinians.
This year, 2026, many were recently speculating that the ceremony of the Holy Light might not take place, or at least might not be open to the public, due to the conflict with Iran, which about 40 days ago forced the Israeli government to close the primary Christian, Jewish and Muslim shrines in Jerusalem to the publicfor safety reasons, among them being the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Yesterday, however, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem had called on Palestinian Christians to participate in the Holy Light celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, though access remained severely restricted. Israeli forces turned large parts of Jerusalem, particularly the Damascus Gate area and the Old City neighborhoods, into a military zone on Saturday, deploying numerous checkpoints. Soldiers stopped many Palestinians, inspected their identity cards, and prevented numerous young men from entering the area. Though the ceremony took place as usual, with many in attendance from all around the world.