Usually attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims, this year's Holy Fire ceremony at the tomb of Jesus was broadcast live to tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians instead.
An Orthodox clergyman holds holy fire to transfer to predominantly Orthodox countries from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many Christians to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem's old city the traditional Holy Fire ceremony was called off amid coronavirus on Saturday.
This year, no pilgrims attended. The church has been closed to visitors since last month, as all houses of worship in the Holy Land have shuttered their doors.to tens of thousands of Orthodox Christian believers around the world. Clergy from Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic and Syriac churches were represented at the ceremony, with a few Israeli policemen standing guard.
Then the patriarch removed his golden trappings and entered the tomb. Moments later, he emerged waving lit candles as church bells chimed. Like each year, motorcades drove the flame in small lamps to Orthodox communities in neighboring Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza.
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