For the Orthodox monks of the Holy Monastery of St Catherine in the Sinai desert, the morning of November 14th will not seem very different from any other they can remember-and in essential ways its proceedings will resemble almost every start to the day at the monastery for the past 1,400 years. At around 4 o'clock in the morning a handful of black-clad figures will emerge from their spartan cells into the starry, icy night and make their way across the courtyard into an ancient basilica where a forest of hanging lamps is waiting to be lit.
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