Yesterday, Thursday June 19, 2008 Asmara’s main streets have been filled with smoke from candles burning in the candlelight vigil that Asmara held for Eritrea’s fallen heroes.

Held every year on the eve of Martyrs’ Day, the candlelight vigil symbolizes the patriots who melted down like candles to bestow light upon their people.

In this year’s event, residents from different parts of the capital, led by a marching band, marched in a slow procession towards the Bahti Meskerem Square, with people from all ages and walks of life bearing wax candles flanked on each side.

Upon arrival at the square, where others had already filled the podium, glowing like a million fireflies, a minute of silence was observed in honor of the martyrs.

Delivering a statement on the occasion, Ms. Fawzia Hashim, the Minister of Justice, stressed that martyrs’ day marks the day when we renew our promises to fulfill the pledges we made to our martyrs.

“A group of women ex-fighters which had come in the procession dressed in their typical fighters’ outfit, brought back memories from the times of our struggle for liberation,” said Terhas Fessehaie, also an ex-fighter, who came to the event holding a picture of her brother that died while defending his motherland.

Different poems and songs in various languages reflecting the auspicious day were also presented during the event, which concluded ceremoniously with the national anthem.

Also on Thursday, Mass service was held in honor of Martyrs’ Day at St. Michael’s Church in here in the capital.

In the ceremony His Holiness Abune Dioskoros, Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, religious leaders from the Eritrean Catholic and Evangelical churches, along with members of the clergy from all churches in Asmara, held prayer services.

Meanwhile in the Do’a ceremony held at Asmara’s Al-Khulafa Al-Rashideen Mosque in the afternoon hours of the same day, Eritrean Mufti Sheik Alamin Osman noted that mourning for martyrs was not necessary but that “we should provide moral and material assistance to those they left behind.”

Thousands of faithful attended both ceremonies.

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