The mystery of the origin of the Holy Fire has been revealed: we light it at home. If the Holy Fire does not descend, then what will happen? The blessed fire of the year has lit up

Descent of the Holy Fire in 2018: date, time, where to watch

The Holy Fire is something that almost the whole world waits for every year. Its descent takes place right on the eve of Easter, and not only Christians and believers are eager to see it. After all, every person knows that if Fire has appeared, then everything will be fine on Earth for another year. It is believed that if the Holy Fire does not arise at least once, then a big disaster will soon occur. That is why people wait with bated breath for this miracle to appear.

The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire, which has existed for more than a thousand years, is strictly regulated and prescribed down to the smallest detail.

10:15 Walking around the Edicule (chapel) in a procession led by the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem

11:00 Closing and sealing of the marble Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher

11:30 Emergence of emotional Arab Christian youth

12:00 Arrival at the Temple of the Greek Patriarch

12:10 Appeal from representatives of the Armenian clergy, as well as the Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches to the Patriarch

12:20 A closed lamp is brought into the Holy Sepulcher, in which a fire should flare up

12:30 Procession of the cross of the Greek clergy with a three-fold circumambulation of the Edicule 12:50 Entrance to the Holy Sepulcher of the Patriarch and the Armenian Archimandrite

12:55 – 15:00 Exit of the Patriarch with the Sacred Fire Traditionally, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims from different parts of the world.

Where can you see the Holy Fire

Such a phenomenon as the Holy Fire, as historians and representatives of the Christian church say, arose about two thousand years ago. You can see how it flares up in only one place. In Jerusalem there is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was built where the cave is located where the coffin with the body of the Savior was placed. It was there that believers first saw this inexplicable miracle, and it is there that the Fire appears every year. Therefore, about ten thousand people gather in this temple every year to see everything with their own eyes. Other believers observe this phenomenon only on television. Therefore, many questions arise about when the descent of the Holy Fire will take place in 2018. The date, time, where to watch the broadcast - all this interests people, because many believe that even if you are not in the temple, but see the flame flaring up on TV, you can receive the blessing of the Lord.

It is worth saying that when exactly Fire appears, no one can say. The fact is that this inexplicable phenomenon occurs at different times every year. But, as a rule, it happens on Holy Saturday. This time it falls on April 7th. If we talk about time, then from the very morning the believers, together with the church ministers, gather at the temple so as not to miss such a significant event. In addition, the procession and several other religious rituals are held first. And often the Holy Fire can only be seen in the late afternoon. It is first given to all believers in the temple, and then sent in lamps to churches located in other countries.

Where to watch live broadcasts of the Descent of the Holy Fire

Every year, several TV channels broadcast live from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But most often the occurrence of this miracle is shown in the recording. The film crew records the entire ceremony, then the best moments are selected, and all this is edited into an hour or an hour and a half program. It is then often shown on Sunday.
But if you want to see everything in real time, then you can turn on the NTV channel. The live broadcast will begin at 13.15 Moscow time on April 7th. You can also watch the appearance of Fire on the Internet. Some resources will also broadcast online.
As for Channel One and Russia TV channel, they will not broadcast this event, but will show a broadcast from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior at 19.30.

The descent of the Holy Fire is a very bright event that all people rejoice at. As those who managed to observe the phenomenon with their own eyes say, candles and lamps in their hands often light up by themselves, flashes appear in the place where the tomb of Christ stood, and dew also appears on the cotton wool that is laid out in the temple. Such miracles certainly deserve attention!

Scientists managed to get to the Holy Sepulcher and conduct research, the results of which shocked believers.

Regardless of whether a person considers himself a believer or not, at least once in his life he was interested in real evidence of the existence of higher powers that every religion talks about.

In Orthodoxy, one of the evidences of miracles indicated in the Bible is the Holy Fire descending on the Holy Sepulcher on the eve of Easter. On Holy Saturday, anyone can see it - just come to the square in front of the Church of the Resurrection. But the longer this tradition exists, the more hypotheses journalists and scientists build. All of them refute the divine origin of fire - but can you trust at least one of them?

History of the Holy Fire

The descent of fire can be seen only once a year and in the only place on the planet - the Jerusalem Temple of the Resurrection. Its huge complex includes: Golgotha, a cave with the Cross of the Lord, a garden where Christ was seen after the resurrection. It was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fire was seen there during the first service on Easter. Around the place where this happened, they built a chapel with the Holy Sepulcher - it is called Edicule.

At ten o'clock on the morning of Holy Saturday, all candles, lamps and other light sources in the temple are extinguished every year. The highest church dignitaries personally monitor this: the last test is the Edicule, after which it is sealed with a large wax seal. From this moment on, the protection of holy places falls on the shoulders of the Israeli police (in ancient times, the Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire handled their duties). They also put an additional seal on top of the seal of the Patriarch. What is not proof of the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire?

Edicule

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a procession of the cross begins to stretch from the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Holy Sepulcher. It is led by the patriarch: having walked around the Edicule three times, he stops in front of its doors.

“The Patriarch dresses in white robes. With him, 12 archimandrites and four deacons put on white vestments at the same time. Then clerics in white surplices with 12 banners depicting the passion of Christ and His glorious resurrection come out of the altar in pairs, followed by clerics with ripids and a life-giving cross, then 12 priests in pairs, then four deacons, also in pairs, with the last two of them in front of the patriarch they hold bunches of candles in their hands in a silver stand for the most convenient transmission of the holy fire to the people, and, finally, the patriarch with a staff in his right hand. With the blessing of the patriarch, the singers and all the clergy, singing: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart,” go from the Church of the Resurrection to the edicule and circle it three times. After the third circumambulation, the patriarch, clergy and singers stop with the banner bearers and the crusader in front of the holy life-giving tomb and sing the evening hymn: “Quiet Light,” recalling that this litany was once part of the rite of the evening service.”

Patriarch and Holy Sepulcher

In the courtyard of the temple, the Patriarch is watched by thousands of eyes of pilgrims-tourists from all over the world - from Russia, Ukraine, Greece, England, Germany. The police search the Patriarch, after which he enters the Edicule. An Armenian archimandrite remains at the entrance doors to offer prayers to Christ for the forgiveness of the sins of the human race.

“The Patriarch, standing before the doors of the holy tomb, with the help of the deacons, takes off his miter, sakkos, omophorion and club and remains only in the vestment, epitrachelion, belt and armbands. Dragoman then removes the seals and cords from the door of the holy tomb and lets the patriarch inside, who has the aforementioned bundles of candles in his hands. Behind him, one Armenian bishop immediately goes inside the edicule, dressed in sacred robes and also holding bunches of candles in his hands to quickly transfer the holy fire to the people through the southern hole of the edicule in the chapel of the Angel.”

When the Patriarch is left alone, behind closed doors, the real sacrament begins. On his knees, His Holiness prays to the Lord for the message of the Holy Fire. His prayers are not heard by people outside the doors of the chapel - but they can observe their result! Blue and red flashes appear on the walls, columns and icons of the temple, reminiscent of reflections during a fireworks display. At the same time, blue lights appear on the marble slab of the Coffin. The priest touches one of them with a cotton ball - and the fire spreads to her. The Patriarch lights the lamp using cotton wool and hands it to the Armenian bishop.

“And all those people in the church and outside the church say nothing else, only: “Lord, have mercy!” they cry unremittingly and shout loudly, so that the whole place hums and thunders from the cry of those people. And here the tears of the faithful people flow in streams. Even with a heart of stone, a person can then shed tears. Each of the pilgrims, holding in his hand a bunch of 33 candles, according to the number of years of the life of our Savior ... hastens in spiritual joy to light them from the primary light, through clergymen from the Orthodox and Armenian clergy specially appointed for this purpose, standing near the northern and southern holes of the edicule and the first to receive holy fire from the holy tomb. From numerous boxes, from windows and wall cornices, similar bundles of wax candles are lowered on ropes, since the spectators occupying places at the top of the temple immediately strive to partake of the same grace.”

Transfer of the Holy Fire

In the first minutes after receiving fire, you can do whatever you want with it: believers wash themselves with it and touch it with their hands without fear of getting burned. After a few minutes, the fire turns from cold to warm and acquires its normal properties. Several centuries ago, one of the pilgrims wrote:

“He lit 20 candles in one place and burned his candle with all those lights, and not a single hair curled or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them with other people, he lit those candles, and on the third day I lit those candles, and then I touched my wife with nothing, not a single hair was scorched or curled.”

Conditions for the appearance of the sacred fire

There is a belief among Orthodox Christians that in the year when the fire does not ignite, the apocalypse will begin. However, this event already happened once - then a follower of a different denomination of Christianity tried to remove the fire.

“The first Latin Patriarch Harnopid of Choquet ordered the expulsion of the heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics. A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He attempted to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and admit only Latins there, completely depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem. God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not happen until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.”

Fire under the Latin Patriarch and a crack in the column

In 1578, clergy from Armenia, who had not heard anything about the attempts of their predecessor, tried to repeat them. They obtained permission to become the first to see the Holy Fire, prohibiting the Orthodox Patriarch from entering the church. He, along with other priests, was forced to pray at the gate on Easter Eve. The minions of the Armenian Church never managed to see the miracle of God. One of the columns of the courtyard, in which the Orthodox prayed, cracked, and a pillar of fire emerged from it. Traces of its descent can still be observed by any tourist today. Believers traditionally leave notes in it with their most cherished requests to God.

A series of mystical events forced Christians to sit down at the negotiating table and decide that God wanted to transfer the fire into the hands of an Orthodox priest. Well, he, in turn, goes out to the people and gives the sacred flame to the abbot and the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified, the Armenian Apostolic and Syrian Church. Local Orthodox Arabs must be the last to enter the temple. On Holy Saturday they appear in the square singing and dancing, and then enter the chapel. In it they say ancient prayers in Arabic, in which they address Christ and the Mother of God. This condition is also mandatory for the appearance of fire.

“There is no evidence of the first performance of this ritual. The Arabs ask the Mother of God to beg her Son to send Fire to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. They literally shout that they are the most eastern, the most Orthodox, living where the sun rises, bringing with them candles to light the Fire. According to oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918-1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours, but to no avail. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended"

Have attempts to find a scientific explanation for the Holy Fire been successful?

It is impossible to say that skeptics managed to defeat believers. Among the many theories that have physical, chemical and even alien justification, only one deserves attention. In 2008, physicist Andrei Volkov managed to get into Edicule with special equipment. There he was able to make the appropriate measurements, but their results were not in favor of science!

“A few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from the Edicule, a device recording the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave pulse in the temple, which no longer appeared. I don’t want to refute or prove anything, but this is the scientific result of the experiment. An electrical discharge occurred - either lightning struck, or something like a piezo lighter turned on for a moment.”

Physicist about the Holy Fire

The physicist himself did not set the goal of his research to expose the shrine. He was interested in the very process of the descent of fire: the appearance of flashes on the walls and on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher.

“So, it is likely that the appearance of Fire is preceded by an electrical discharge, and we, by measuring the electromagnetic spectrum in the temple, tried to catch it.”

This is how Andrey comments on what happened. It turns out that modern technology cannot solve the mystery of the sacred Holy Fire...

For two thousand years, Christians who celebrate their main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, have witnessed the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an architectural complex that includes Golgotha with the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which is located the Edicule ("royal bedchamber") - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - the cathedral Church of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen Equal to the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars.

The earliest mentions of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found among the holy fathers Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Silvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. According to the testimony of the apostles and holy fathers, the Divine Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ; The first witness to the miracle was the Apostle Peter.

One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.

At about 1 p.m., the litany itself begins (in Greek, “prayer procession”) of the Holy Fire. In front of the procession are banner bearers with 12 banners, behind them are young men, a crusader cleric, at the end of the procession is the Orthodox patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian patriarch and clergy.

During the procession of the cross, the procession passes all the memorable places in the temple: the sacred grove where Jesus was betrayed, the place where Christ was beaten by Roman legionnaires, Golgotha, where he was crucified, the Stone of Anointing, on which the body of Jesus Christ was prepared for burial. Then the procession approaches the Edicule and circles it three times. After this, the Orthodox patriarch stops just before the entrance to the Edicule, he is unmasked - they take off his festive vestments, leaving him in only a white linen vestment (a long liturgical robe with narrow sleeves reaching to his toes), so that it can be seen that he is not bringing anything with him into the Savior’s burial cave , which could start a fire.
Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should burn - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

At this time, the lights in the temple turn off and tense anticipation sets in. All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. The prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle occurs. Over the years, the wait lasted from five minutes to several hours.

According to eyewitnesses, after the patriarch entered the Edicule, first occasionally, and then more and more, the entire air space of the temple was pierced by flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. Little lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly visible that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging above the Edicule, from the dome of the temple, from the windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb. At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.

Sometimes, according to eyewitnesses, lamps and candles in the hands of worshipers light up by themselves. Most people hold several candles in their hands (to then take them to their churches and distribute them to loved ones). Each of them is like a torch, so that soon the entire temple begins to literally shine with fire.

Later, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire. Fire is delivered on special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it is distributed throughout the world. Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring the Holy Fire to Russia.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an architectural complex that includes Calvary with the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which the Edicule ("royal bedchamber") is located - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - the cathedral Church of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen Equal to the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars. On the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there are several active monasteries; it includes many auxiliary rooms, galleries, etc.

Although according to many, both ancient and modern testimonies, appearances of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, the most famous and impressive is the miraculous convergence

The Holy Fire on the eve of the Orthodox holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, on Holy Saturday. Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts, etc.), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.

In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Holy Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 hours Jerusalem time.

Approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, a church ceremony begins. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since Good Friday; many stay here immediately after the procession of the Cross, which takes place in memory of the events of that day. By ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished. A lamp filled with oil, but without fire, is placed in the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and tape is laid along the edges.

Then the procedure for checking the Edicule for the presence of fire sources takes place, after which the entrance to the Edicule is closed by the local key holder (Muslim) and sealed with a large wax seal, on which the representatives of the Jerusalem mayor's office, the Israeli police, etc., who carried out the inspection, put their personal seals.

Both historical and modern practice indicate that during the descent of Fire there are three groups of participants. First of all, the Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing. Mandatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot and the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. The third group of obligatory participants are local Orthodox Arabs. 20-30 minutes after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth, shouting, stomping, drumming, riding on top of each other, rush into the temple and begin to sing and dance. Their exclamations and songs represent ancient prayers in Arabic for the sending of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings into the cave a large lamp in which the main fire and 33 candles should light up - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, first occasionally, and then more and more, the entire air space of the temple is pierced by flashes of light and flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. Little lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly visible that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging above the Edicule, from the dome of the temple, from the windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb. At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.

Sometimes, according to eyewitnesses, lamps and candles are in the hands of those praying. Most people hold several candles in their hands (to then take them to their churches and distribute them to loved ones). Each of them is like a torch, so that soon the entire temple begins to literally shine with fire.

In 2016, on a special flight in special lamps from Jerusalem, the Holy Fire was carried by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation (FAP).

In 2017, the Holy Fire was also part of the annual program “Ask for Peace in Jerusalem.”

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is available to everyone. It can be seen not only by tourists and pilgrims - it takes place in front of the whole world and is regularly broadcast on television and the Internet.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Holy Fire- one of the strongest symbols of faith and confirmation of its truth among Orthodox Christians. Once again, he descended from heaven last Saturday in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (erected in the 4th century by order of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena on the spot where Christ’s earthly journey was completed) on the eve of the Great Feast of Orthodox Easter.

The Descent of the Holy Fire is proof of the truth of the Orthodox Faith.

The Holy Fire descends only on Orthodox Easter and only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch. There was an experience of achieving the convergence of fire in 1101 and in 1578, when the Turks controlled Jerusalem. All attempts did not lead to results.

The Lord revealed His will to people: the fire did not descend into Kulukvia, in which the Armenian patriarch was intensely praying at that time, but descended on one of the outer columns of the temple, at which the Jerusalem patriarch prayed together with the believers - the column cracked in this place, and this crack can be see now.

After such a phenomenon, the Latins and Armenians were forced to come to an agreement with the Orthodox and recognized that God has the will to give the Holy Fire only into the hands of a minister of the Orthodox Church. It is known that for the fire to appear, there is one more condition - local Orthodox Arabs must appear in the Holy Sepulcher Church with songs and dances, offering prayers to the Mother of God and Christ in Arabic.

Holy Fire: miracle or man-made reality?

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the power and nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far the attempts have not been crowned with success. Believers accept fire as God's highest grace, without questioning its divine nature in the slightest. Skeptics and atheists carefully try to explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view, and I think this is also normal.

Let's try to understand the mystery and nature of the descent of the Holy Fire.

How to prepare for receiving the Holy Fire

It is not the first millennium that the Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, subject to several other conditions.

The first mentions of this phenomenon date back to the 4th century, they are found among church historians.

A vivid description, full of the depth of experienced feelings, is given in his book “I Saw the Holy Fire” by Archimandrite Savva Achilleos, who was the chief novice at the Holy Sepulcher for more than 50 years. Here is a fragment of a book about how the Holy Fire descends:

“….the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of the dead silence, I heard some kind of tremulous, subtle rustling. It was like a subtle breath of wind. And immediately after that I saw a blue light that filled the entire internal space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw how this light was spinning, like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this Blessed light I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Large tears flowed down his cheeks...

... the blue light again came into a state of movement. Then it suddenly became white... Soon the light acquired a rounded shape and stood motionless in the form of a halo above the Patriarch’s head. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send the Holy Fire, slowly extending his hands to the sky. He barely had time to raise them to the level of his head when suddenly all four bundles lit up in his hands, as if they were brought closer to a blazing furnace. At that same second, the halo of light above his head disappeared. From the joy that overwhelmed me, tears flowed from my eyes...”

Information taken from the site https://www.rusvera.mrezha.ru/633/9.htm

Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, preparation for the descent

The ceremony of preparation for the descent of the Fire begins almost a day before the start of Orthodox Easter. These days, not only Orthodox believers, but also other Christians, Muslims, and atheist tourists rush to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which can accommodate 10 thousand people. Representatives of the Jewish police are also present here, vigilantly monitoring not only order, but also ensuring that no one brings fire or devices that cause it into the temple.

Then an unlit lamp with oil is placed on the center of the bed of the Holy Sepulcher, and a bunch of candles in the amount of 33 pieces is also placed here - the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. Pieces of cotton wool are placed around the perimeter of the bed, and tape is attached to the edges. Everything is done under the strict supervision of the Jewish police and Muslim representatives.

It is important that the phenomenon of the descent of Fire is ensured by the obligatory presence in the temple three groups of participants:

Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Hegumen and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, making themselves known by noisily unconventional singing of prayers in Arabic .

The festive procession is closed by the Orthodox Patriarch, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and clergy, who go around the holiest places of the temple, going around the Kuvuklia (chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from his vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that could cause fire, and enters the Edicule.

After which the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim key keeper.

From this moment those present are waiting for the Patriarch to emerge with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence is different every year: from several minutes to several hours.

The moment of expectation is one of the most powerful in faith: believers know that if the Fire is not sent from above, the temple will be destroyed. Therefore, parishioners take communion and pray earnestly, asking to be granted the Holy Fire. Prayers and rituals continue until the appearance of the Holy Fire.

How the Holy Fire descends

This is roughly how the atmosphere of waiting for the Holy Fire is described by people present in the temple at different times. The phenomenon of convergence is accompanied by the appearance in the temple of small bright flashes, discharges, flashes here and there...

When filming with a slow-motion camera, the lights are especially clearly visible near the icon located above the Edicule, in the area of the Temple dome, near the windows.

A moment later, the entire temple is illuminated by glare, lightning, and then... the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with that very Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individual people spontaneously ignite.

An incredible atmosphere of joy, delight and happiness fills the entire space; it truly becomes an energetically unique place!

At first, Fire has amazing properties - it doesn’t burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, and pour it on themselves. There are no cases of clothing, hair or other items catching fire. The fire temperature is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of healing of illnesses and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Holy Dew, will remain on human clothes forever, even after washing.

And subsequently, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire, although there are cases in areas near the temple of their spontaneous combustion. Fire is delivered by air to Cyprus and Greece, and so on all over the world, including Russia. In areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own.

There were fears that the Fire would not go down this year due to the fact that archaeologists in the fall of 2016, for scientific purposes, opened the tomb with the Holy Sepulcher, in which, according to legend, the body of Jesus Christ rested after the crucifixion. The fears were in vain.

Video about the descent of Fire in Jerusalem.

Scientific explanation of the Holy Fire

How does science explain the nature of Holy Fire? No way! There is no scientifically proven evidence of this phenomenon. Just as there are no scientific interpretations of all things that happen according to the will of God. We must accept the fact of Fire as a divine essence.

Attempts to somehow explain the nature of this phenomenon are rather revealing in nature, as is usually the case, the desire to convict the Church of insincerity, deception, and concealment of the truth.

But in fact, why does the Fire descend only among Orthodox Christians? Well, there is only one God, are there only different faiths? And why does the day of celebrating Orthodox Easter fall on different dates on the calendar every year, and why does the fire descend at the right time? By the way, in the past, its convergence was observed at night with the onset of Holy Saturday before Easter, now it happens during the day, closer to noon.

The Holy Fire is a myth

What arguments do skeptics give when exposing the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, thereby trying to dispel the myths about the divine nature of fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

Fire at the right moment is obtained from essential oils, pre-sprayed into the atmosphere of the temple and capable of self-ignition.
The candles that are given out in the temple shop are impregnated with a special composition that saturates the atmosphere of the temple, causing those very flashes and spontaneous combustion of the candles.

But other candles were also lit, which passionate skeptics brought with them to the temple.

Some substances, for example, white phosphorus, have spontaneous combustion. Concentrated sulfuric acid, when combined with manganese, ignites spontaneously, but the flame does not burn. The fire does not burn for some time when ethers burn. But only the first moments.

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

Here's another recipe for self-ignition:

“... they hang lamps in the altar and arrange a trick so that the fire reaches them through the oil of balsam tree and devices made from it, and its property is the appearance of fire when combined with jasmine oil. Fire has a bright light and a brilliant radiance.”

The phenomenon of fire can be explained as the result of the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper atmosphere through the Earth's magnetic field.

But why here and at this time? Unconvincing!

Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? The land of Jerusalem is very old, in addition, the temple is located in a unique place, on ancient tectonic plates.

Perhaps this fact contributes to the phenomenon.

Or maybe the believers themselves, gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their energy of excitement, the special state of the nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, are able to generate energy flows, which are already abundant in places of pilgrimage.
The Catholic Church does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire.
In 2008, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem’s interview with Russian journalists caused a lot of noise, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without placing any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

Professor Pavel Florensky in 2008 carried out measurements and recorded three flash-discharges, akin to those that happen during a thunderstorm, and thereby confirmed the special atmosphere during the appearance of Fire, that is, simply its Divine origin.

Literally a year ago, in 2016, Russian physicist, employee of the Kurchatov Institute RRC Andrei Volkov managed to bring equipment with him to the temple for the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and take measurements of the electromagnetic field inside the room. Here's what the physicist himself says:

– During six hours of observing the electromagnetic background in the temple, it was at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire that the device recorded a doubling of the radiation intensity.

– Now it is clear that the Holy Fire was not created by people. This is not a deception, not a hoax: its material “traces” can be measured.

In fact, this inexplicable burst of energy can be called a message from God?

– Many believers think so. This is the materialization of a Divine miracle. You can't find another word.

I think there are other attempts to explain the mystery of the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire. But whether God’s plan can be squeezed into mathematical formulas is a question.

Conclusion

After analyzing the facts listed above, everyone will decide for themselves: a miraculous sacrament or a man-made process with the participation of people is the Holy Fire. The truth of faith does not need proof! For others, miracles do not exist and everything that happens around us must be subject to the laws of science.