Worshipers of diverse ages and nationalities coming from different places, turn towards a centre, the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection. Arriving at the police barricades the worshipers immovably jostle. Some waiting in front of the barricades until the opening of the Church and others, whoever succeeds in going through the police check, follow the divine Liturgy of the Great Saturday at the nearby monasteries of Saint Theodore, of the Seidanagia Theotokos, of Saint Catherine’s, of Saint Panteleimon and others. The Great Saturday, in the language of the locals is known as “Saturday of Light” or “Sabat Inur” in Arabic and “Sabat Ha-Or” in Hebrew. In the meantime his Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem and of all Palestine receives the missions who come there to transfer the Holy Light to their Churches and Countries, to the Orthodox around the world. On the 12^th hour of noon, his Beatitude starts from the Patriarchate and through the steps of the Cathedral Church of Saint James descends to the Most Holy Church of the Resurrection. From the Apocathelosis through the doors of the area to the right, he comes to the Holy Vema of the Catholicon, where the representatives of the Armenians, Syrians and Copts come to receive the blessing of the lighting of the Holy Light. Continuing, his Beatitude puts on his Patriarchal vestments in front of the Holy Altar of the Catholicon and immediately leads the litany (procession) thrice around the holy Edicule of the Most Holy Sepulchre, blessing the entrance of the Catholicon. He then removes his vestments in front of the Edicule of the Most Holy Tomb, so that he enters wearing only the white sticharion (under-robe) and the epitrachilion. His Beatitude having entered the Most Holy Tomb (Sepulchre) reads the consecrated prayer to the Holy Light, which he then passes on to the thousands impatiently waiting faithful, who receive it with their candles to which they then bring their hands, fronts and eyes over them with faith, certainty, hope, joy, exultation, shouts of joy and joyful peeling of bells. Holding bunches of candles; his Beatitude exits the holy Edicule and enters the holy Vema and the Sacristy. From there, followed by the Fathers and members of the Greek Mission, he ascends to the Patriarchate with joyful peeling of bells and inexpressible joy.  

The feast of the Resurrection starting from the morning of the Great Saturday by the evening divine Liturgy of Great basil, is concluded the night of the Resurrection with the divine Liturgy in this Life-giving Tomb of the Lord, having been buried and from which He was resurrected from death, led by his Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem and co-serving with the Archpriests of the Patriarchate together with many priests, Hagiotaphites and visiting priests from other Orthodox Churches and with the participationof crowds of all sorts of Orthodox people from Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Rumania, Serbia, Bulgaria and other countries.

The participation of the divine Liturgy and the mystery of the divine Eucharist is truly a profound experience and taste of the Cross and of the Resurrection of the Lord and of His Immaculate Body and Holy Blood, and a humble show of the Orthodox presence in the Holy Lands.

During Sunday morning follows the ceremony of Love or of the “Monday of the Resurrection”. The Hagiotaphite Fathers assemble in the Hall of the Patriarchates, where, embracing each other, put on their arch-hierarchal and hierarchal vestments and read alternatively the Paschal ninth hour while the hiero-chanters melodically chant the “Christ is Resurrected” and the “Day of Resurrection”.

Later, an official and magnificent procession starts with the holy icon of the Resurrection of Christ, led by his Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem  and through the Christian road on both sides of which stand with joy many Christians and press representatives, both Greek and local and arrive at the courtyard of the Church of the Resurrection. There a prayer is offered and then through the Shrine of the Holy Apocathelosis and of the holy Edicule of the Holy Tomb, an entry is made to the Catholicon. There during the Vespers an extract of the Gospel according to Saint John is read of the appearance of the Lord to His disciples, with closed doors, on the first day of the Resurrection, when He showed His hands and His side while the Holy Apostle Thomas was absent. Then the disciples told him that the Lord arose from the dead and he responded to them: “if I do not see on His hands the nail wounds and put my hand in His side I shall not believe” (John 20:25). With this service closes the circle of feasts of the Holy Week and opens the cycle of the feast of Pascha at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.