Christian pilgrims march through Jerusalem for Good Friday
Thousands walk through the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, carrying wooden crosses high on their shoulders and singing hymns to mark one of Christianity's most solemn and sacred days
The faithful carried wooden crosses high on their shoulders and sang hymns to mark one of Christianity's most solemn and sacred days.
The confluence of Good Friday and the Jewish holiday of Passover this year led to flocks of tourists and a festive atmosphere in the holy city.
Worshippers from all over the world marched slowly along the Via Dolorosa, the cobblestone path that cuts through the Old City, where tradition says Jesus bore the cross to his crucifixion. The pilgrims stopped at several points on the way, re-enacting symbolic moments from Jesus' story.
The procession culminates at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe Jesus was buried before his resurrection on what is celebrated as Easter Sunday.
At sundown, Jews gather around dinner tables to tell the story that celebrates their deliverance from slavery in Egypt in Old Testament times.
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world's largest Jewish religious organizations, has arranged Passover Seders in over 100 countries for Jews who seek them, even in some far-flung corners of the globe, such as Congo and rural Australia.
