To the sound of bagpipes and drums, Palestinian scouts marched today through the streets of Bethlehem, in the celebrations that will take place this Christmas in the West Bank city, the cradle of Christianity, after two years without celebrations due to the war in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of kilometers away, Pope Leo XIV will preside today, Christmas Eve, at the Vatican in his first Christmas Mass as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
From St. Peter's Basilica, the pope is expected to focus his sermon on peace and brotherhood, after another year marked by wars and conflicts.
In Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Christmas celebrations over the past two years have been overshadowed by the deadly and destructive war in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Out of solidarity with the Palestinians in the region, the celebrations were canceled, but the huge Christmas tree, decorated with red and gold ornaments, was lit up again this year in early December in front of the Church of the Nativity.
This joy was made possible by the very fragile ceasefire that has been in place in Gaza for over two months.
«Christmas has truly arrived.»
Today, hundreds of people filled the streets of the city to watch the scout parade in Bethlehem's iconic Manger Square, singing traditional Christmas carols.
«You feel that Christmas has truly arrived,» said 17-year-old Milagros Anstas happily, wearing his blue and yellow scout uniform. «It's a day full of joy, because before we couldn't celebrate because of the war,» he told Agence France-Presse.
For 18-year-old Katayam Amaya, these celebrations are synonymous with «hope.» In the Middle East, «there are still Christians who celebrate, and we maintain our traditions,» he said.
As in other Middle Eastern countries, Christians are a minority in the Holy Land, with a community of 185,000 people in Israel and 47,000 in the Palestinian Territories.
Despite the festive atmosphere in the city, the municipality of Bethlehem tried to tone down the grandeur of the celebrations somewhat. This is because, despite the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza continue to experience a serious humanitarian crisis.
The vast majority of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the Palestinian coastal enclave, many of whom have been displaced by the conflict, have lost everything. And hundreds of thousands are still living in tents, helpless in the winter rains.
«Back to normal life»
To date, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have been «living in a state of survival,» Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa emphasized today, upon his return from Gaza, where he celebrated Christmas Mass with the small Christian community. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, upon his return from Gaza, where he celebrated Christmas Mass with the small Christian community.
His visit made him feel «the desire for normal life to return» to Gaza, he said.
Today, he will celebrate the traditional midnight service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The city, whose economy depends almost entirely on tourism, is delighted to welcome pilgrims and visitors after the crises caused by the war and the Covid-19 pandemic.
«None of these obstacles exist this year,» says George Hanna, who came from the neighboring town of Beit Jala. «I hope we can celebrate and make sure the children are happy. That's why we're here.’.
In other parts of the world, while millions of children eagerly await Santa Claus, whose every move is tracked by Flightradar, celebrations in Australia are overshadowed by the anti-Semitic attack on December 14 at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
«This Christmas will not be the same,» Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on X, expressing «deep sadness.».
