‘Half joy, half sadness’: Christmas celebrations resume in Bethlehem

Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – Manger Square and the narrow alleyways that surround it filled with the sound of drums and brass as Bethlehem’s scout troupes marched through in their pristine uniforms.

They sang Christmas carols and played traditional Palestinian music, combining a celebration of Christmas with their own national identity.

Amid Wednesday’s celebrations, held on Christmas Eve, there was a certain poignancy – this is the first time in two years that such festive scenes have returned to the city, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

Among those at the celebrations was Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is the highest-ranking Catholic official in Palestine and the wider region.

“Here in Bethlehem, from where I send the Christmas message not only to Bethlehem but to the entire world, I have noticed the presence of light,” Pizzaballa said. “And this is not just the light of the sun, but the light of your beautiful faces.”

“We decided to be light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he added. “Today, we bring you peace, prayers, and hearts.”

The suspension of Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem in 2023 and 2024 was in solidarity with fellow Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 70,000 in its genocidal war. Israel has also increased the ferocity of its raids on Bethlehem and the occupied West Bank, where more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis in the past two years.

Attacks from the Israeli military and settlers alike have not spared Palestinian Christians, with attacks on Gaza’s only Catholic church killing three in July, and a predominantly Christian town in the West Bank in the same month.

A ceasefire in Gaza that began in October has brought some respite, even as Israel continues its violations and attacks on the Strip, killing hundreds of people. The Israeli army also continued its military raids in the occupied West Bank.

And even as the festive atmosphere lightened the mood in Manger Square, the reality of the war was not absent. Israeli military raids and checkpoints continued, with Israeli forces arresting three young men from the nearby refugee camps of Dheisheh and Aida just hours before the celebrations began.

Pizzaballa, who has just returned from Gaza, was quick to reference the suffering of Palestinians.

“In Gaza … I witnessed total destruction,” he said. “But amid Gaza’s destruction, I felt a passion for life. In the midst of nothingness, people created reasons for joy and celebration. They reminded us that we can return and rebuild again despite human destruction.”

“We will be able to celebrate in Gaza and Bethlehem,” Pizzaballa continued. “We will return to rebuild everything anew.”

Tough journey

About 1,500 people – both Palestinians and foreign visitors – attended the Christmas celebrations, which have become one of the biggest symbols of Christian life in the region, even as the percentage of Palestinian Christians living in the West Bank gets smaller as a result of the Israeli occupation, among other factors.

George Zalloum, from occupied East Jerusalem, was one of the Palestinian Christians who had made the journey to Bethlehem.

He told media that he was enjoying the atmosphere, but that it was tinged with sorrow.

“Today’s atmosphere is half joy and half sadness, because we have brothers who are still dying in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment and killing there,” Zalloum told media. “We hope the war will end, the killing will stop, peace will prevail in the Holy Land, and that these holidays … will continue.”

Other Palestinians travelled to Bethlehem from cities and villages across the West Bank, but their journeys highlighted the difficulties placed on them by Israel.

Many waited for hours at checkpoints surrounding Bethlehem, even as the physical distance between their homes and the city was not long.

“It is true that the atmosphere of joy, love and peace has returned to us, but the road to Bethlehem was difficult,” said Hussam Zraiqat, who travelled to Manger Square from Birzeit, near Ramallah. “We spent a long time at an Israeli military checkpoint, but thank God, we arrived.”

That was echoed by another Palestinian attendee, Ghassan Rizqallah, from the village of Jifna, also near Ramallah.

“We faced the military checkpoint, where we waited for at least an hour and a half before we were able to enter the city,” Rizqallah said. “The journey was very difficult.”

But once he arrived, Rizqallah was overjoyed to experience the Christmas atmosphere. “Watching the scout bands and hearing the music takes us back to the beautiful past of our country, our land, and our heritage – and we deserve to live in safety and peace.”

Vital tourism

Bethlehem’s mayor, Maher Canawati, said that the Manger Square celebrations carried a meaning that went beyond Bethlehem.

“Bethlehem’s message today is one of steadfastness and hope for the people of the city, for Gaza, and for all of Palestine,” Canawati told media. “Today, we send a message to the entire world that the Palestinian people love life and peace, and that they cannot be uprooted from their land and their roots because they are the rightful owners.”

Canawati pointed to tentative signs of economic revival in the city, whose Church of the Nativity is a major site of Christian pilgrimage, after a prolonged collapse in tourism.

“All the Bethlehem hotels are reopening their doors to receive local and foreign visitors after nearly two years of almost complete shutdown,” Canawati said. “God willing, the wheel of tourism has started turning again.”

Bethlehem’s economy, heavily dependent on tourism, has been badly hit. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, hotel occupancy rates since the beginning of the year stood at only 25 percent.

Elias al-Arja, the head of the Palestinian Hotel Association, said that hotels in Bethlehem had suffered $300m in losses this year. However, the renewal of the Christmas celebrations has been a huge boon.

“Hotel occupancy rates over the past two days have risen to 80 percent, with around 8,000 visitors – 6,000 of them Palestinian citizens of Israel, and 2,000 from various nationalities from Europe and the United States,” al-Arja said.

Some of those visitors took the opportunity to watch the Christmas celebrations in Manger Square.

“It is good to see these celebrations returning,” said Dwayne Jefferson, who travelled from the US state of North Carolina. “It is a positive experience and opens the door to the possibility that this entire region can return to a state of normal life. I am very happy to be here.”

Jean Charles, a tourist from Italy, said that it was his first visit to Bethlehem, and that he was happy to see so much joy after two years of war.

“I see this feast as a celebration for every Palestinian, not only Christians,” said Charles. “I see Muslims here as well, and this is very important and interesting for the future of this people.”

“Unfortunately, I noticed the low number of tourists … But honestly, the situation is very calm. Everyone tells me, ‘Welcome to Palestine’. It is a very beautiful day, and a very beautiful Christmas.”

More visitors needed

For businesses around Manger Square, the day brought cautious optimism. George Ejha, the owner of St Georges Restaurant, said: “Today’s activity was good and relied mainly on Palestinians from inside Israel, but it is not good enough compared to the period before the war.”

“I completely stopped working when the war broke out and only reopened the restaurant two weeks ago. The losses I suffered cannot be counted,” he said. “We hope there will be more activity at the beginning of the year.”

Souvenir shop owner Jack Jaqman struck a similar note. “The activity we saw today is not enough … Those who visited Bethlehem were [mainly] foreign workers in Israel from the Philippines, India and Romania, or our own people [living in Israel],” Jaqman said. “Still, it is important in showing the city’s reality and its readiness to receive pilgrims and tourists again.”

“I have been in my souvenir shop for 10 days and have not felt the presence of real tourist groups that could improve the economic situation,” he said. “On this day, we pray for the end of the siege that has turned Bethlehem into a large prison.”