Ancient Jericho witnessed the miracles of the Holy Prophet of God Elisha. For the sake of the feast of the saint, June 14/27, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission of the ROCOR, Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), served the Divine Liturgy in the church of St. John the Baptist in Jericho. Since the Jordan Valley has its own special climate, by this time of year the grapes have time to ripen and, according to local tradition, grapes are blessed on the commemoration of St. Elisha instead of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
