MIDDLE EAST: The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and The Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem hold Good Friday services

Record ID: 862931

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and The Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem hold Good Friday services
  • Date: 29th March 2013
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF CLERGY HOLDING SCULPTURE OF JESUS IN A COFFIN VARIOUS OF CLERGYMEN AT PROCESSION WHERE IS BELIEVED TO BE THE BURIAL PLACE OF JESUS
  • Embargoed: 13th April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem, West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVABE1I117A2JJ24I5OK0SC91GX
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Christians in Bethlehem and Jerusalem hold Easter procession re-enacting the funeral of Jesus on Good Friday (March 29).
    Christian worshippers in the West Bank city of Bethlehem held a re-enactment of Jesus' funeral inside the Church of Nativity, revered as his birth place.

    "It is Good Friday when Jesus was sentenced to be crucified and they took him and crucified him," said Bethlehem resident Mike Salman.
    The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem's Old City, is believed to be built at the place of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion, burial and Resurrection.

    "Today we are commemorating Jesus' funeral when they moved him from the crucifix and put him in the coffin and as we can see there are a lot of people from all over the world coming to here," said Leah Kharmaneh, worshiper at the Holy Sepulchre Church.
    In the ceremony, clergy carried a casket containing an icon of Jesus that was brought down from the cross, wrapped in linen and covered in flowers symbolising the tomb in which Jesus was buried after his crucifixion. The church officials than carried the casket around the church yard three times.
    The Easter festival begins on Good Friday with a procession through the Via Dolorosa, a path marking the last hours in Jesus' life, to the church.
    The Easter holiday culminates on Easter Sunday when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, three days after being crucified.
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