By: Sarah Iskander
Last weekend, Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter. The Orthodox world continues to use the ancient Julian calendar. This calendar officially started in 46 B.C by the emperor Julius Caesar. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter and are punctuated by a miraculous event that occurs every year.
The holy fire ritual occurs in the church of the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem which is the burial site of Jesus Christ. The Holy fire ceremony involved the lighting of candles by all believers who are in the church at that time. An Orthodox bishop enters alone into the tomb and emerges with a lit candle. The fire from the candle is quickly lit and passed from one believer onto another. The bishop is carefully searched before entering the tomb to ensure that he has nothing on him that he can use to create fire. It is believed that holy fire descends upon the tomb of Christ and that is what is used to ignite the candle the bishop is holding. This miraculous event has been occurring for the last 1,200 years without interruption.
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