The return of Christmas tourism after two years of COVID-related restrictions lent the town a festive air, as worshippers gathered near the Church of the Nativity to visit the grotto where Christian faithful believe Jesus was born.
Thousands of Christians from all over the world have made a pilgrimage to Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to celebrate Christmas, the festival marking the birth of Jesus Christ, Aljazeera reports.
The return of Christmas tourism after two years of COVID-related restrictions lent the town a festive air, as worshippers gathered near the Church of the Nativity to visit the grotto where Christian faithful believe Jesus was born.
Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the past two years, the pandemic kept international visitors away.
This year, visitors are back, hotels are full, and shopkeepers have reported brisk business in the run-up to the holiday. Although the numbers have not reached pre-pandemic levels, the return of tourists has palpably raised spirits in Bethlehem.
A traditional procession set off from Jerusalem at noon (10:00 GMT) on Saturday and arrived in the small town in the afternoon.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the procession, passing through a checkpoint in Israel’s separation wall in the occupied West Bank.
“We are living in very difficult challenges,” he said in his sermon at the church, citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Ukraine.
“But the message of Christmas is a message of peace.”
Throughout the day, hundreds of people strolled through Manger Square for Christmas Eve celebrations. Marching bands pounding on drums and playing bagpipes paraded through the area, and foreign tourists meandered about and snapped selfies with the town's large Christmas tree behind them.
Cool gray weather, along with an occasional rain shower, did little to dampen spirits, though many people headed indoors to shops and restaurants to warm up. By nightfall, the crowds had thinned.