Holy Fire — the miracle of Easter: how it appears, what to do with it

Every year on Holy Saturday there is a miracle that all Orthodox Christians are waiting for — the descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. In 2025, it is scheduled to happen on April 19 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. By tradition, many believers will gather here to be the first to touch the fire, which is a reminder of Christ for them. For more information about the event, its history, meaning, and when the fire will be delivered to Moscow, see the Izvestia article.

The Descent of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on April 19, 2025

The Holy Fire descends annually in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, which is popularly known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is believed that it was built on the site of the burial and resurrection of Christ. This event takes place on Holy Saturday, on the eve of the main Christian holiday, Easter. In 2025, it will happen on April 19th.

The descent of the Holy Fire takes place during a special divine service, called the "Exodus from Kuvuklia." Kuvuklia (from the Greek. "rest", "bedchamber") is a small chapel, which is the main altar of the temple. It was built over the cave where the body of Jesus is believed to have lain.

According to the surviving sources, the first data on the descent of the Holy Fire dates back to the IV century. The first witness of the miracle, according to the available manuscripts, was the apostle Peter, who came to the tomb at night when Jesus Christ had risen. In it, he saw the radiance coming from the empty coffin.

Nowadays, candles and lamps are extinguished in the temple on the night before Great Saturday, and cotton wool is placed on the funeral bed. After that, the chapel is inspected and closed. The keys to it are traditionally kept in a Muslim family.

The ceremony of prayer and the subsequent descent of the Holy Fire takes place during the day. It is attended by the clergy of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Coptic and Syrian Churches.

The ceremony always begins with a procession, during which the priests walk through the iconic places of the temple (all of them are associated with the last day of the life of Jesus Christ), and then walk around the chapel three times. Everyone has 33 candles in their hands, symbolizing the Savior's age on the Day of Resurrection. In front of the entrance, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is leading the procession, as well as the Armenian Archimandrite, take off their outer garments and remain only in their cassocks. This is done so that others can make sure that they have not brought anything with them to light the fire artificially.

After that, two clergymen enter the chapel, the door is sealed, and universal prayer begins. The Patriarch of Jerusalem is the only one who can see the process of the descent of fire, which is why the Archimandrite remains behind the wall.

After the miracle, the patriarch lights the lamps and candles with cotton wool and brings them to the faithful. Everyone who came to see this miracle takes turns lighting their candles.

Currently, the divine service of the descent of the Holy Fire is strictly regulated, the ceremony practically does not differ from year to year. The only thing that changes is the waiting time for the miracle to happen. No one knows how long after the beginning of prayer this will happen: in a few minutes or in a few hours.

Holy Fire: spiritual meaning, what it symbolizes

For believers, the Holy Fire is the main symbol of the resurrection of Christ, the connection between God and man. Now the ceremony, which attracts people from all over the world, is designed to unite people — no matter what language they speak, the unity of faith is important.

In addition, the descent of the Holy Fire for the Orthodox is a symbol of light and hope for the best, even in dark times. According to unconfirmed popular beliefs, if the convergence does not occur on the appointed day, the Last Judgment will soon come.

It is worth noting that such days have already occurred in 1101 and 1579. In addition, history knows of a case where the fire did not go down for a long time. This happened because young Arab Christians were forbidden to enter the Jerusalem temple, as they were too noisy. The fire did not go down until the restriction was lifted.

Holy Fire: the temperature, why it doesn't burn

The believers who were present in the temple on the day of the descent of the Holy Fire told many wonderful events around this phenomenon. So, there are cases when bright flashes of fire were reflected from the walls, like lightning, candles were lit by themselves not only on the territory of the temple, but also behind it.

Many also note that at first the Holy Fire has special properties different from ordinary fire. Despite the fact that everyone has a bunch of 33 candles in their hand, the flame does not burn. There are cases when believers "wash" their faces, beards and hair with this fire, while it does not harm anything. However, after a while, such properties are lost, and the fire begins to burn.

Nevertheless, despite the stories of miracles associated with the Holy Fire, there are many refutations of these phenomena and superstitions. First of all, this concerns the belief that Doomsday is coming, and the information that fire does not burn is also refuted.

Holy Fire – 2024: when will it be in Moscow, what to do with it

Every year, the fire is delivered to different countries of the world, including Russia. This year, it will be delivered on a special flight to the evening service on May 4. The St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation has been organizing the delivery since 2003. The fire will be brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and then representatives of dioceses will deliver it to various cities of the country, including Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Ulan-Ude, Chelyabinsk and others. In Moscow, the Holy Fire will be available in 15 churches.

For those who want to take a piece of the Holy Fire home, it is best to bring it still burning and place it in front of the icon. To do this, you can buy small lamps at a church store and fill them with petroleum jelly oil. The clergy remind us that the Holy Fire is primarily a proof of the Resurrection of Christ, and it is not worth praying for it when becoming fire worshippers.