Bethlehem bounces back from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirit

BETHLEHEM: The biblical city of Bethlehem marked what was shaping up to be a Merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors expected at the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic.
Tourism is the economic engine of this West Bank city, and for the past two years the pandemic has kept international visitors away. This year, visitors are back, hotels are full and local traders have reported booming business as the holidays approach.
“We are celebrating Christmas this year in a very different way than last year,” said Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maayah. “We celebrate Christmas with pilgrims from all over the world.”
Saturday at noon, hundreds of people took part in the Christmas Eve celebrations on the Place de la Mangeoire. Marching bands beating drums and playing bagpipes paraded through the area, and foreign tourists strolled and took selfies with the city’s greats. Christmas tree behind them.
Daisy Lucas, a 38-year-old Filipina who works in Israel, said it was a dream come true to mark the holidays in such an important place.
“As a Christian walking in the places of the Bible, it’s so overwhelming,” she said. “This is the birthplace of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, this is an achievement that is on my to-do list.”
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, was due to arrive from nearby Jerusalem to greet well-wishers. Later, he was to celebrate midnight mass in the nearby Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born.
Billions of Christians ushered in the feast, concluding a tumultuous year characterized by conflict and violence in many parts of the world.
In war-ravaged Ukraine, twinkling lights normally spread over Kyiv‘s Sophia Square are missing due to restrictions and power cuts. Instead, a modest tree adorned with blue and yellow lights barely breaks the gloom of the square. Mayor Vitali Klitschko called it “the tree of invincibility”.
In the United States, a savage winter storm continued to envelope much of the country, bringing blinding blizzards, freezing rain, flooding and deadly cold that created chaos for those traveling for the holidays.
Today’s reality was visible in Manger Square as banners showing pictures of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid were prominently displayed. The veteran prisoner died of cancer last week in an Israeli prison clinic after spending some 20 years behind bars for his conviction in the deaths of seven Israelis.

malek

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GreenLeaf Tw2sl