The Holy Light will arrive in Athens from Jerusalem on the afternoon of Saturday ahead of Easter, before continuing to eleven destinations across Greece on scheduled and specially arranged flights.
As in previous years, the transfer will pass through Athens International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos, before special flights carry the Holy Light onward to regional destinations.
Flight plan for Holy Light distribution across Greece
This year’s Holy Saturday operation includes flights to eleven destinations across Greece. The schedule is as follows:
- Athens – Zakynthos, 7:30 – 8:50 pm
- Athens – Thessaloniki, 8:10 – 9:05 pm
- Athens – Ioannina, 8:10 – 9:25 pm
- Athens – Mykonos, 7:30 – 8:15 pm
- Athens – Limnos, 7:50 – 8:50 pm
- Athens – Samos, 7:30 – 8:30 pm
- Samos – Kos, 8:50 – 9:30 pm
- Athens – Chios, 8:35 – 9:25 pm
- Athens – Kavala, 8:00 – 9:15 pm
- Athens – Volos, 7:30 – 8:40 pm
- Volos – Kefalonia, 9:00 – 9:50 pm
A key Holy Saturday tradition for Orthodox Christians
Many Orthodox Christians regard the Holy Light, also known as the Holy Fire, as one of the most significant traditions of the Saturday just before Orthodox Easter. Each year, the ceremony takes place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
According to Orthodox tradition, the Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the chapel believed to house the tomb of Jesus Christ without carrying any device that could produce a flame. Inside, he prays before a marble slab believed to cover the stone where Jesus’ body was placed for burial.
Orthodox Christians believe a blue light then appears, lighting the candles carried by the patriarch. Worshipers inside and outside the church then receive the flame. After the ceremony, aircraft transport the Holy Light to countries where Orthodoxy is the predominant faith, including Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.
The Holy Light emission from the tomb of Jesus has been disputed by other denominations, by both scientists and skeptics alike. Some deem it religious fraud, claiming that chemicals such as naphtha or white phosphorous, which cause delayed ignition, are used to light the fire in the tomb.