Originally posted by djs:
(Does anyone know about the blessing of fire?)
It is part of the Easter Vigil service of the Roman ritual and probably has similar origins and certainly similar symbolism of the Passing of the New Light at the beginning of the Byzantine Resurrection Matins.
Easter Vigil is divided into four parts: blessing of the fire and lighting the Candle, liturgy of the word, liturgy of Baptism and liturgy of the Eucharist.
At the beginning of Vigil, the church is dark. The faithful gather, if possible, outside the church where a contained fire is lit. The priest welcomes the faithful and blesses the fire saying, "Father, we share in the light of your glory through your Son, the light of the world. Make this new fire holy and inflame us with new hope. Purify our minds by this Easter celebration and bring us one day to the feast of eternal light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. "
Next, an acolyte or minister presents the Paschal (Easter) candle. This is a tall wax candle which is either plain or, as many parishes prefer, purchased with a varying degree of adornment already on it. If the candle is plain, the priest will prepare it at this time by carving a cross into the wax with a stylus or small knife. The symbols for alpha and omega are drawn above and below the cross and the four numerals of the current year carved in the four quadrants of the cross beginning with the upper left corner as one faces the candle.
Most purchased paschal candles come with five red pegs which are stuck into the candle in the appropriate spots to symbolize Christ's torment on the Cross: top of the Cross for the Crown of Thorns, one peg on each end of the crossbar representing the nails driven through Christ's hands, another part way down on the vertical bar where Christ was stabbed in the side and the last towards the base of the cross noting the nail driven through Christ's feet.
After the candle is prepared, the priest lights it from the fire and says, "May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds." The designated candle bearer stands at the church entrance and the faithful go inside, lighting individual small candles from the Paschal candle flame as they pass. The Paschal candle is carried to it's place near the lectern and the church lights are turned on.
