Orthodox Christians flocked to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday to celebrate the Holy Fire ceremony, gathering in far greater numbers than last year because coronavirus restrictions have eased.
The Holy Fire ceremony, symbolising Jesus’s resurrection, is one of the most colourful spectacles of the Orthodox Easter season, usually attended by many pilgrims.
This season’s religious holidays in the Holy Land, home to religious sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, have been overshadowed by tragedy.
Israel is mourning the death of 45 Jewish worshippers killed in a stampede overnight between Thursday and Friday at a religious festival in the north of the country.
With Jerusalem under lockdown last year’s Holy Fire ceremony was held in the near-empty church that is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
“Last year it was a sad year,” said Rosaline Manees, a pilgrim from Jaffa who was among the 400 worshippers gathered at the church.
“This year is better, though not like other years as pilgrims from all over the world are not visiting the country. Today it is only us who live in the country. But, sure, better than last year.”
Israel’s swift vaccination drive has largely beaten back the pandemic in the past few months, allowing for restrictions on gatherings to be greatly eased as officials plan a resumption of international tourism in the coming months.
Read the article by Ammar Awad and Sinan Abu Mayzer in Sight Magazine (Reuters).