At Jerusalem Holy site (Church of Holy Sepulchre) -- Estimated 10,000 worship at Rite of Holy Fire (April 24)

from Jerusalem Post story (www.jpost.com/ )

The ceremony is the holiest event for the Orthodox Christian sects, as evident in the heavy presence of Greek, Russian, Armenian, Coptic and Syrian Christians, with some Catholics also visible in the crowd.

As the anticipant believers – many of whom had been in the complex since the early morning – waited behind police barriers keeping the groups apart and the pathways free for the clergymen, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theofilos III, accompanied by a senior Armenian priest, exited the Edicule, a small structure within the church marking Jesus’s grave, with burning candles.
These were used to light three more candles borne by young men – one who sprinted to light the candle of a senior clergyman, and the other two, who touched the candles outstretched by the believers, whistling and yelling their enthusiasm as bells began to toll and the air became thick with smoke.
Burning candles will also be flown out to Orthodox communities throughout the world.
The faithful believe that it is through divine intervention that the first flame comes to life – much like Jesus did at the same spot a day after his crucifixion, marked by Saturday’s midnight Easter Mass.
“This was fantastic,” beamed Sambart, a physician from Armenia, who was one of the young men ensuring ahead of the ceremony that the Armenians received the meters of church space that were their due. It is his fourth time in Jerusalem for the ceremony.
“Everyone must see it,” he said. “I feel stronger.”
Other people swiftly passed a hand through the fire burning on their multi-wicked candles, then wiped their faces and heads. “I feel clean, pure, like I was just born,” another man from Russia said.
To Andrew, a member of a group of Russian Orthodox Christians from Belarus who was attending the Holy Fire for the first time, “the fire represents that life prevails over death,” and “the ceremony shows the unity of the Orthodox Church.”
Tensions between different Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christians have in the past climaxed in fights within the church, which is run by a status- quo committee composed of members of those churches as well as Roman Catholics.
Copts, Assyrians and Ethiopians Orthodox also bear certain rights to the building, which contains various chambers built, destroyed and rebuilt since the fourth century, when the site was destined a church.
But on Sunday, the peace was well kept between the laymen of these groups, although there was the inevitable vying for a better view of the ceremonial action. Policemen heavily deployed throughout the church, carrying small fireextinguishers on their backs, ensured that none of the enthused pilgrims went beyond their destined limits, and the entire ceremony was broadcast live throughout the world.