Palestinian territories: a gloomy Christmas in prospect in Bethlehem
Audio 01:16
A health professional sterilizes the area around the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem on December 23, 2020. AFP - JAAFAR ASHTIYEH
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4 min
This year, the quintessential Christmas town does not have its usual charm.
In Bethlehem, where Christ was born more than 2,000 years ago according to Christian tradition, the celebrations will take place without pilgrims, tourists and officials.
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From our special correspondent in Bethlehem
,
Alice Froussard
The midnight mass which is usually attended by thousands of believers from all over the world will be behind closed doors, and broadcast over the Internet.
The Palestinian Authority has imposed lockdown and reduced celebrations to the bare minimum.
And the city, which lives mainly from tourism, struggles to revive the festive spirit of this period because of the economic crisis.
The huge fir tree is there, in the middle of the Manger Square, but the little alleys of Bethlehem are empty.
Most souvenir shops have lowered the curtain, and shopkeepers are desperate that they haven't sold anything for nine months.
"
This Christmas is really sad"
Jack Giacaman is the manager of an olive wood nursery shop.
He can only note that “
Bethlehem is
a tourist town
, it is a small town surrounded by the wall.
All the farmland is on the other side of this wall, and there is no industry in Bethlehem, just tourism.
This Christmas is really sad.
There are no tourists, not even locals who come to visit the city.
Usually, many Palestinians come, and there is no place to eat in a restaurant during this period: everyone is full.
But this year, everything is empty!
"
The Basilica of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, is deserted.
Even the famous Christmas mass will not have the same flavor.
“
The night of December 24, there will be a lot of restrictions. There will only be prayers with priests, no invitation for the public.
Even the Palestinian Authority will not come to mass
”, explains Rami Asakrieh, father of the Bethlehem parish.
A way, he adds, to focus on the essentials, and the meaning of Christmas.
► Read also: Coronavirus: in the West Bank, Bethlehem cordoned off and tourism at a standstill
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