“The streets of Bethlehem’s Manger Square echoed again with the sounds of music, light, and roasted nuts on Christmas Eve, bringing joy to the town where Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It was a welcome change for Bethlehem, whose festive atmosphere had remained low-key for years, with war-related cancellations disrupting celebrations on many occasions.
1. Return of Bethlehem to Celebration
The ceasefire in Gaza facilitated the revival of the public celebrations in Bethlehem, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in the procession from Jerusalem. “We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” the cardinal told the mass of people, comprised of both Christian and Muslim adherents. It was not only a religious but also a commercial event, given the 80% tourist-dependent town. “We canceled the last two years’ celebrations with a broken heart and a broken soul,” Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati told AP, but the return of the tree is a sign of resistance.
2. Tourism’s Fragile Recovery
“It’s a start of coming back to normal life here.”
As a tour guide, Georgette Jackaman has a front-row seat to life in this war-torn Christmas town. During the war, she, like many others in Bethlehem, turned to an online business selling handicrafts to support families affected by a jobless crisis in which unemployment figures skyrocketed to 65%, up from a previous 14%. This has left a trail of Bethlehemites heading abroad, a trend of which 4,000 are Bethlehem residents since the start of the war. Most are Christians.
3. Challenges Facing Bethlehem’s Christians
Bethlehem’s Christian population has dramatically diminished throughout the years, from 86% in 1950 to about 10% in 2017, estimates a researcher named Elias Zarina. Since October of this past year, a minimum of 142 Christian families have left the area. There have been claims of intimidation, land conflicts, and violence against the Christian population, with charges by one researcher, Elias Zarina, of the Palestinian Authority’s “inability or unwillingness” to safeguard the minorities.
4. Regional Contrasts in Christian Life
There is no comparison between Bethlehem and Nazareth regarding Christianity and its followers in Israel. In Nazareth, Christians are increasing under Israeli rule by a whopping 18,900 people, including some of the highest GDP per capita in Israel for Christians. In Bethlehem, Christmas festivities were tentative and very limited by checkpoints and political shadows surrounding them.
5. Middle East Resilience
In other parts of the region, Christians continued to celebrate amidst challenges. In Gaza, Christmas Mass was held on Christmas Eve at Holy Family Catholic Church despite it having been damaged by shell fragments back in July. In Damascus, worshippers resumed attending Mar Elias Church despite a suicide attack back in July, which led to the deaths of 25 people. In Lebanon, Christmas charity was directed towards artists and needy families.
6. The First Midnight Mass of Pope Leo XIV
In Rome, Pope Leo XIV led his first-ever Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. He reflected on “the wisdom” of the “Christmas message.” “In light of the pain of the poor, (God) chooses to send one ‘defenseless’ to become ‘the strength to rise again,’” said the first U.S. pontiff. He spoke about “the weakness of our own existence” and how “those who lack their dignity and remain silent” were to be given “a glimpse of our shared humanity.”
7. Global Message of Hope
In his Christmas day “Urbi et Orbi” message, Pope Leo XIII exhorted people to be in solidarity with oppressed people around the world, mentioning Gaza, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, and other suffering territories. “There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted, and, enriched by listening, we fall to our knees before the humanity of others,” he said. His multilingual greetings resumed a custom which had been discontinued by his predecessor, earning cheers from a crowd of 26,000 people in St. Peter’s Square.
8. Religious Tourism in Conflict Zones
Religious tourism is a lifeline for Bethlehem but exposed to political turbulence. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism estimates the total number of tourists to be 130,000 by the end of the year. Among them would be Christians at 40,000. This is short of the last pandemic when a total of 150,000 Christians visited Bethlehem in the context of the Christmas celebrations. Checkpoints, raids, and settler attacks limit movement.
9. The Interfaith Aspects of Celebration
In Bethlehem, celebrations attracted Christians and Muslims alike. It marked an element of their joint culture. In Taybeh, with its higher concentration of Christians, trees symbolically stood close to the occupied land. The appeal by Cardinal Pizzaballa for “a Christmas full of light” found resonance across religious divides. It marked an element of coming together during trying times. “The lights in Bethlehem and Nazareth, the hymns in Gaza and Damascus, the Pope’s message in Rome all wove a tapestry of resilience,” said Ali Zaatari, dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut.
“The way that people celebrated Christmas or Christmas Eve could be seen in many ways,” added Ramsès Wargli, a French Lebanese theologian who teaches Christian theology at the Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
“For many
