Alan Philps. Mystery of Jerusalem's Holy Fire comes to light

"It's not a miracle. The Greek priests bring in a lamp - one that has been kept burning for 1,500 years - to produce the Holy Fire."

For more than 1,200 years the ritual of the Holy Fire has been performed in Jerusalem every Easter, with a flame "miraculously" appearing at the darkened tomb of Jesus to symbolise the Resurrection.

To a great cheer from the 3,000 faithful, the divine light appeared at 2.10 on Saturday afternoon, and was passed from candle to candle around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and through the narrow streets to Christian homes in the Old City.

In past centuries, the Holy Fire was carried from Jerusalem all through the Orthodox world - by steamer to Odessa on the Black Sea to light the icon lamps of Russia, on mules to Damascus in the steps of St Paul, and by camel caravan to the churches of the Coptic Christians of Egypt. The mystery of the Holy Fire has been a secret for centuries, even though Muslims have long denounced it as a trick and Roman Catholics and Protestants give the ceremony a wide berth.

This year, however, the mystery of how the flame appears has been penetrated. The ceremony, conducted by the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches, begins with the extinguishing of all lights in the church. The door to the presumed site of the burial and Resurrection of Jesus is searched for light and sealed with wax.

The priests parade around the tomb three times then go inside. After a tense wait, as the often rowdy congregation holds its breath, a flame suddenly appears. Candles are passed out of holes on either side of the tomb to torch-bearers from the Greek and Armenian churches, who race up the steps, competing to be the first to bring the fire to the top balcony.

A cheer spreads through the darkened church when the fire is first seen. The flame is passed from hand to hand, with the faithful waving bundles of candles and spattering themselves with hot wax. The church comes alive in a blaze of light, smoke and incense. It is hard not to be taken up in the euphoria.

Local Christians - a tiny minority in a Holy Land racked by violence - certainly need something to cheer them up. But one Armenian torch-bearer, Soukias Tchilingirian, felt the truth had to be told. He said: "It's not a miracle. The Greek priests bring in a lamp - one that has been kept burning for 1,500 years - to produce the Holy Fire. For pilgrims full of faith who come from abroad, it is a fire from Heaven, a true miracle. But not for us. Of course the source of the fire is ancient and symbolic. I heard this from my father and I think he knew the truth."

For most of the year Mr Tchilingirian is a chef, living in Raynes Park, south-west London. But at Easter he is an aristocrat of Jerusalem's Armenian community and enjoys the ancient privilege of racing the fire up to the Patriarch's throne. At the age of 53, Mr Tchilingirian, who left Jerusalem in 1968, is now handing over to his "much faster" son.

A senior member of the Armenian community was shocked by the suggestion that Greek priests smuggled in the flame. "I have never seen it as my business to ask the Patriarch from where the Holy Fire comes," he sniffed.

Cited: Alan Philps. Mystery of Jerusalem's Holy Fire comes to light // The Guardian, London, England - April 16, 2001