Holy Fire Ceremony. If the Holy Fire does not come down, then what will happen? Where can you see the Holy Fire

The descent of the Holy Fire is a miraculous and yet inexplicable phenomenon by scientists, which occurs annually on the eve of Easter. The flame that appears by itself, which was first seen by the Apostle Peter over two thousand years ago, today is a visible evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where and how is the Holy Fire lit? When will the Holy Fire descend in 2018? What should humanity prepare for in the event that the fire does not come down?

Where and when does the Holy Fire descend?

The Holy Fire is a harbinger of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. According to tradition, it descends on Easter Eve in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, built in 335 AD. In 2018, the Holy Fire will descend on Saturday, April 7th. He appears by himself, through the prayer of the Greek Patriarch near the memorial plate of the Savior.

As for the time when the Holy Fire descends, this traditionally takes place at noon, within 12:55 - 15:00 in the afternoon. At the same time, no one knows when the fire will appear. At one time, he descends after ten minutes, and at another - after a 2-hour prayer of the patriarch.

Age-old ritual traditions

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

Traditionally, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims from all over the world. It is they who are the first to know whether the Holy Fire has ignited and the first to have the opportunity to touch the flame that does not burn.

The temple itself can accommodate no more than 8 thousand people, but there can be up to 70 thousand people who want to see a miracle. For the rest, the territory adjacent to the temple is allotted. Each of the parishioners holds a bunch of 33 candles in their hands, which indicate the earthly age of Jesus Christ.

The Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church goes to the chapel of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ - Kuvuklia in one cassock. This room is carefully checked by Israeli policemen for the presence of matches, lighters or other items that can give a fire.

In the process of waiting for the convergence of the Holy Fire in the temple:

• all sources of light are extinguished,
• there is deathly silence.

Pilgrims at this time should pray and sincerely repent of their sins before the Lord.

The Patriarch leaving the chapel, first of all, lights the candles of representatives of each of the religious denominations. After that, the fire spreads among the crowd of thousands of pilgrims. It is often difficult for the police to keep all those who want to get a piece of flame faster than others, because according to legend, all worldly sins are the first to be forgiven.

Some interesting facts about the Holy Fire:

1. The convergence of fire is symbolized by flashes in the form of blue fireballs near the dome of the temple.
2. Fire for some time does not burn either the body or the hair of a person.
3. The holy flame has never been the cause of a fire.
4. The wax of candles that were lit from the Holy Fire cannot be removed from clothing.
5. The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is still a mystery.

How and where can you see the convergence of the Holy Fire?

You can contemplate the descent of the Holy Fire not only while in the Jerusalem temple. Such an amazing and inexplicable phenomenon is actively covered by mass media from all over the world.

In Russia in 2017, the convergence of the Holy Fire was broadcast live on the NTV channel. Who will cover the upcoming event this year is still unknown, but in any case, how the Holy Fire appears can be watched online via the Internet.

Video recordings of such an unusual and rare phenomenon of past years, as well as photos of eyewitnesses from the scene, can be easily found on the Internet. Also, fragments of the video about the miraculous appearance of the Holy Light, as the Holy Fire is also called, will be shown on the same day in the evening news of all television channels without exception.

Spread of the Holy Fire around the world

Immediately after the representatives of all churches and denominations have lit their lamps from the Holy Fire, they go to their countries in order to transfer a piece of flame to all the cities and villages of the state.

The fire is transported by charter flight in a special capsule. Trying to be in time by ten in the evening, when evening services begin in the main temples of the capital, representatives of confessions are trying to deliver the sacred flame to the place of service as quickly as possible.

It is said that if the fire did not come down, then it would be a terrible omen for all mankind. The Apocalypse will begin and the Last Judgment from which no one will hide. Then the Church of the Holy Sepulcher will be destroyed, and the people living on Earth will perish. Despite the fact that the Holy Fire appears from year to year, there is always the possibility that one day it will not come down ...

The descent of the Holy Fire is a miracle that happens every year on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In 2017, the whole Christian world will celebrate the Holy Resurrection of Christ on the same day - April 16th.

On Holy Saturday, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from all over the world to wash in its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

The Holy Fire was brought to Georgia from JerusalemThe greatest miracle is awaited with excitement not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of various denominations.

For many hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand where the Holy Fire comes from. Believers are sure that this is a real miracle - God's gift to people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Holy Fire

According to many testimonies, both ancient and modern, the appearance of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, but the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on Great Saturday, on the eve of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Throughout almost the entire time of the existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

The distribution of the Holy Fire during the Easter service The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times, the descending fire has a unique property - it does not burn the first minutes.

The first witness of the descent of fire was the Apostle Peter - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. For two thousand years, this light has descended every year on the Holy Sepulcher with the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century. And the earliest written references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date back to the 4th century.

The temple with its huge roof covers Golgotha, and the cave in which the Lord taken down from the cross was laid, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrected.

Convergence

Around noon, a religious procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

All the lights in the temple are extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, Englishmen - pilgrims from all over the world - are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch undresses, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can make fire (during the Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing chiton, the primate of the Church enters.

On his knees in front of the Tomb, he prays to God for the sending down of the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is an interesting feature - the Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, a kind of fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lampada and candles, which he then takes out to the temple and passes to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, dozens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick

This wonderful phenomenon at different times had many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. The Catholic Church was also among those who disagreed. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 spoke out with disagreement about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire.

Not understanding the true origin of the Holy Fire, some Arabs tried to prove that the Fire is allegedly obtained using any means, substances and devices, but they have no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon. In their opinion, it is possible to produce fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemical mixtures and substances is also possible.

Christian Orthodox worshipers light candles from the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem But none of them is similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property - not to burn in the first minutes of its appearance.

Theologians, representatives of various confessions, including the Orthodox Church, have repeatedly stated that the ignition of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposedly “sacred fire” is a falsification.

The most famous are the statements in the middle of the last century by professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Uspensky, who believed that in Kuvuklia the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps at this time are extinguished.

At the same time, Uspensky argued that "the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still a sacred fire received from a sacred place."

Russian physicist Andrei Volkov, allegedly, a few years ago, managed to take some measurements at the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia, a device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete unsubstantiated statements of skeptics, the miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is an annually observed fact.

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, on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

The Holy Fire from Jerusalem Every year, several thousand of those present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the patriarch entered the Cuvuklia, which was checked and sealed, with a bunch of candles, whose clothes were specially examined. He came out of it with a burning torch of 33 candles, and this is an indisputable fact.

Therefore, the answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from can be only one answer - it's a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

And in conclusion, the Holy Fire confirms the promise of the Risen Christ to the apostles: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

It is believed that when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.

The material was prepared on the basis of 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 decree of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Elena at the place where Christ's earthly journey was completed) on the eve of the Great Feast of the Orthodox Easter of Christ.

The descent of the Holy Fire - as 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 convergence of fire in 1101 and in 1578, when the Turks owned Jerusalem. All attempts failed.

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

After such a phenomenon, the Latins and Armenians were forced to negotiate in 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 appearance of fire there is one more condition - in the Holy Sepulcher Church with songs and dances, local Orthodox Arabs must appear, offering a prayer 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 successful. Believers accept fire as the highest grace of God, without questioning even the slightest doubt about its divine nature. 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 convergence of the Holy Fire.

How is the preparation for the reception of the Holy Fire

Not for the first millennium, 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 a few more conditions.

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

A vivid description, full of depth of experienced feelings, is given in his book “I saw the Holy Fire” by Archimandrite Savva Achilleos, who for more than 50 years was the main novice at the Holy Sepulcher. 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 dead silence, I heard some kind of quivering, barely perceptible rustle. It was like a thin breath of wind. And immediately after that, I saw a blue light that filled the entire inner space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw this light whirl like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this blessed light, I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Big tears were running down his cheeks...

… the blue light has returned to a state of motion. Then it suddenly turned white... Soon the light took on a rounded shape and in the form of a halo stood motionless above the head of the Patriarch. 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 down the Holy Fire, slowly stretching his hands to the sky. As soon as he raised them to the level of his head, all four beams suddenly lit up in his hands, as if they were brought close to a flaming furnace. At the same moment, the halo disappeared from the light above his head. Tears flowed from my eyes from the joy that engulfed me .... "

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

Then, an unlit oil lamp 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 laid around the perimeter of the bed, a tape is attached along the edges. Everything is done under the strict supervision of the Jewish police and Muslim representatives.

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

1. Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
2. Abbot and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
3. Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, who make themselves known by noisy non-traditional performance of prayers in Arabic .

The Orthodox Patriarch closes the festive procession, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and the clergy, who go around the most holy places of the temple, go around Kuvuklia (the chapel above the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from the vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that can cause fire, and enters Kuvukliya.

After that, the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim keykeeper.

Those present from this moment are waiting for the Patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence varies from year to year, from a few minutes to several hours.

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

How the Holy Fire descends

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

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

A moment later, the whole temple is already lit up with glare, lightning, and right there .. the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with the same Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individuals 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 does not burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, pouring water on themselves. There are no cases of ignition of clothes, hair and other objects. The temperature of the fire is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of the healing of ailments and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Blessed Dew, will remain on people's clothes forever, even after washing.

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

There were fears that this year the Fire would not come down 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 giving, 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 the Holy Fire? No way! There is no scientific evidence for this phenomenon. Just as there are no scientific interpretations of all things that happen according to the will of God. One must accept the fact of Fire as a divine essence.

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

But in fact, why does the Fire come down only among Orthodox Christians? Well, God is one, faiths are just different? And why does Orthodox Easter fall on different calendar dates every year, and why does the fire come down 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.

Holy Fire is a myth

What arguments do skeptics give, 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 Sepulcher:

• The fire at the right time is obtained from essential oils, previously 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 the same flashes and spontaneous combustion of candles.

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

• Some substances, such as white phosphorus, exhibit spontaneous combustion. Concentrated sulfuric acid, when combined with manganese, ignites spontaneously, while the flame does not burn. The fire does not burn for some time when the ethers are burning. But only the first moments.

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

• Here is 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 the balsam tree and accessories from it, and its property is the appearance of fire when combined with jasmine oil. Fire has a bright light and brilliant radiance.

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

But why here and now? 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, who have gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their excitation energy, a special state of the nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, are able to generate energy flows that pilgrimage sites are not poor in anyway.
• Does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire and the Catholic Church.
• A lot of noise in 2008 was made by the interview of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III to Russian journalists, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

Professor Pavel Florensky in 2008 took measurements and recorded three flashes-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.

Just a year ago, in 2016, Andrey Volkov, a Russian physicist and employee of the Russian Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", managed to bring equipment to the temple for the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire and make measurements of the electromagnetic field inside the room. Here is what the physicist himself says:

- For 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, can this inexplicable surge of energy be called a message from God?

“Many believers think so. This is the materialization of the Divine miracle. You won't pick another word.

I think there are other attempts to explain the mystery of the phenomenon of the convergence of the blessed fire. But whether God's plan can be squeezed into mathematical formulas is a question.

Conclusion

After analyzing the above facts, everyone will decide for himself: A miracle 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.

However, just decades ago, people did not believe in the special properties , and water on the day of July 7 Ivan Kupala. Today, the facts that water these days (nights) changes its structure, becoming "holy water", no longer cause doubts either among skeptics or science.

And, you see, is it really so important how and where the fire comes from on the eve of Orthodox Easter, much more important is FAITH in its amazing power and FAITH in general. Do you remember?:

“All people believe. Some believe that there is a God, others that there is no God. Both are unprovable!”

Are you drawn to the mysteries of the world? Take a look at the blog section of the same name, read about and other articles in the section.

P.S. After a long time, a reader left such a comment. He sheds light on the mystery of the Holy Fire:

The descent of the Holy Fire is the result of the religious power of faith. This mental energy has a plasma character. Directed at one (one year) time and in one place causes ignition.
Aimed at time (2000 years), at the cross symbol, through Jesus Christ, the Christian faith causes the birth of a new Sun.
Islamic faith since 621 with its faith gives rise to a new young month. The symbol is the Kaaba stone.
This is how the Universes, planets, comets, meteorites and other space objects are born, for millions and billions of years, instead of leaving.
Comets, meteorites and other small cosmic bodies are born by various religious sects, burning up in the atmosphere they are beneficial in the form of its purification or replenishment of the mass of the Earth and other planets. This is a schema. Details in the books of the author Grozov V. G. If you did not know this, if this is not in the media, it does not mean that this cannot be. Therefore, as the Bible says: "Let crying, and anger, and rage be put away from you."
Sincerely. Vladimir Bocharov. Sochi, Adler.

Faith in God is reinforced by unusual phenomena. Some of them make even skeptics and desperate atheists think. The descent of the Holy Fire is a vivid example. If the miracles that Jesus performed are simply described in the Bible, then this annual miracle can be seen for yourself. It is necessary to go in the spring to the Promised Land and see in a huge temple how this miracle is lit. Or just look at the news on Holy Saturday.

Historical basis

The life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been proven many times over. There are not only biblical sources, but also archival documents that were kept then. With his sermons and deeds, the Son of God clearly spoiled the mood of the Roman invaders. In those days, Judea was a colony, and the colonizers were pagans. Belief in one God violated the foundations of that time, created competition for the imperial policy of Rome. Jesus can be seen as the opposition. And any totalitarian regime cracks down hard on dissent. According to the Bible, the death of Jesus is the retribution for human sins for thousands of years to come.

Christian meaning

This miracle happens every year on the eve of Orthodox Easter. Location: Jerusalem Orthodox Church. But there are two more places where you can see the convergence of the Holy Fire: the Syrian and the Coptic Church. The event symbolizes the miracle of the resurrection of Christ. In states where there is Orthodoxy, there is a live broadcast of the event. These are Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Bulgaria. With this event begins the main holiday of the Orthodox - Easter. The fire spreads and is transported by aircraft to countries where the traditions of Orthodoxy are honored. Upon arrival, he is met by spiritual leaders, the miracle of fire moves from the airport with an honorary escort. From the main temple of the country, fire is delivered to the central parishes in the regions.

Service Highlights

The whole process of service this Saturday has a complex and strict order. Here are the main steps:

1. The entrance of the patriarch with his retinue to the temple. It is accompanied by a religious procession, then the patriarch puts on white clothes. He is accompanied by twelve archimandrites and deacons. The procession ends with the song "Quiet Light".
2. Prayer of the Patriarch. She passes near the lodge of the Savior, the Patriarch asks for mercy from God, the salvation of the pagans and the lost, the observance of the commandments by all people.
3. Waiting for fire. This is the culmination of Holy Saturday. Many believers who are in the temple observe various incomprehensible phenomena: in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe dome, one can see flashes, bright flashes, pillars of light. And this is not because many people want to take a photo and the flashes go off.

After a certain period of waiting and passionate prayer, light appears in Kuvuklia, bells begin to ring. From the windows of Kuvukliya, the holy fathers serve candles with descended fire. They are picked up by believers and begin to distribute around the temple. The first moments the fire does not bring any burns, it causes only joy and pleasant emotions. Then comes the exit of the Patriarch. He looks tired and slightly exhausted, because asking God for the salvation of many sinners is hard work. Yes, and the fact of the appearance of fire carries a serious moral shock.

Details

Many are interested in: When does the fire go down in 2017?» Easter will be April 16th, so Saturday is April 15th. And the main question of all Orthodox on this Saturday evening will sound like this: Has the Holy Fire been kindled in Jerusalem today?"Some may ask:" What if the fire doesn't come down?» The history of Orthodoxy does not know such cases. The only episode occurred in 1579. But there is a reason for this: an Orthodox priest was not allowed into the church. The absence of convergence of fire is one of the signs of the end of the world. But the holy fathers in Kuvuklia will find a way to extract it, save our sinful world with their prayers.

The phenomenon of the Holy Fire in 2014 can be seen on the video (approx. deleted by the owner):

For the epigraph:

“The Holy Fire is a symbol of faith, salvation, mercy and the greatness of the Lord!”

The Holy Fire descends once a year in Jerusalem on Orthodox Easter. The convergence takes place on Great Saturday (April 15, 2017) in Kuvuklia, in the chapel inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. For two thousand years now, Christians who have celebrated 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.

Talking about inexplicable things in the courtyard of this Temple, where all roads lead, is a common thing. It is on its territory that the main Christian shrines are concentrated - the place of execution, burial and resurrection of the Savior.

According to legend, the annual mysterious fire in the Holy Land is a sign of God's mercy, which notifies the care of the Lord and gives believers hope that God prolongs the existence of the world for another year. In different years, the wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

The prayer of tens of thousands of Christians for the descent of the Holy Fire will take place on the pre-Easter Great Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Holy Fire is considered a symbol of God's blessing to the human race. It is carried by pilgrims throughout the Orthodox world. The fire will be delivered to Russia by a delegation from the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, which in 2017 included the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

The convergence of the Holy Fire in 2017 date time where to watch

The convergence of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will be broadcast on television. This great miracle will be shown live on Russian TV by the NTV channel. In accordance with the TV guide, the start of the live broadcast of the convergence of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will take place on NTV at 13:15 Moscow time.

On Ukrainian television, the convergence of the Holy Fire will be broadcast by the Inter channel, the broadcast will start at 12:45 (local time).

Descent of the Holy Fire 2017 live broadcast watch online

When will the Holy Fire 2017 arrive in Russia?

A delegation from the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called will deliver to Russia the holy fire in special lamps, made according to the model of the “Olympic”, by a special flight from Jerusalem to Moscow. Everyone will be able to receive a particle of the Holy Fire right at the Vnukovo-1 airport, where the plane from the Holy Land will land, presumably at 22.00 Moscow time. The Holy Fire will be brought to many cities in Russia, as well as to Russian parishes abroad.

During the Bright Week (the first week after Easter), the Holy Fire can be received at the foundation's office in Moscow at 42 Pokrovka, building 5 (from 9.00 to 18.00). Those who wish must have their own lamps.

The descent of the Holy Fire how it happens

In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Great Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 o'clock 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 people stay here immediately after the procession, which is performed in memory of the events of this day. By ten o'clock in the afternoon of Great Saturday, all candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished. In the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher, a lamp is placed, filled with oil, but without fire. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and a tape is laid along the edges.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the site where the Tomb of Jesus Christ was. This is where the Holy Fire appears. In a crowd of pilgrims, it is difficult to calculate the distance from Calvary to the last bedchamber of Christ, but it is 33 steps, which is equal to the years of Jesus' earthly life.

Moreover, each believer has 33 candles. Those who did not take care of them in advance are forced to buy them directly in the temple from the monks three times more expensive.

In turn, the guards check the chapel, lock the door with a key and put a seal, which means that there is no source of fire inside.

Meanwhile, young Arab Christians, sitting on each other's shoulders, are loudly stirring up emotions in the crowd. According to legend, in the year when Arab youths were banned from hooliganism in the temple, the fire lingered for several days. So, young Arabs can now do whatever they want in the temple.

According to tradition, two clergy go inside the chapel. The hierarchs remain in very simple robes without belts. This is due to the fact that when the Holy Land belonged to the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish guards could not believe in the miracle of Fire, they carefully checked the belts so that matches were not hidden there. Now the function of verification has been inherited by Israeli policemen, who, moreover, take care that representatives of two competing faiths do not begin to sort things out.

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

Only after this, the patriarch enters Kuvukliya and prays on his knees.

After the patriarch enters Kuvuklia, the entrance is sealed, and the expectation of the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

The removal of the Easter fire symbolizes the exit from the Tomb of the “True Light”, that is, the resurrected Jesus Christ. After the service, inside Kuvuklia (the Chapel over the Holy Sepulcher), light appears, bells ring out in the temple. Burning bunches of candles appear from the windows of Kuvuklia, served by the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian archimandrite. From their candles, the fire is lit by the walkers, after which the fire quickly spreads through the temple.

Pilgrims leave notes with best wishes. When the fire goes down, in the first few seconds it leaves no burns.