Midnight mass and prayer. For Christians, Christmas remains one of the most important holidays on the calendar. Each year during this period, more than 660,000 tourists choose to visit Israel and Palestine during this period, according to the Israeli tourism ministry. Among them, 165,000 Christians come to plunge into the life of Jesus.
"We don't celebrate Christmas like in the West," says Aline Boublil, director of Joubert Voyages. Except maybe a little on the Palestinian side, in Bethlehem. She describes an area bounded by barriers, a fir tree and a very religious atmosphere around the Basilica of the Nativity where tourists flock to attend the midnight mass. But in the rest of the city, no garland, mulled wine or Santa Claus: "It's not in their culture. The festivities are concentrated around the churches only. "
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Church of Nativity. #church #christianism #christianity #jesus #holyland #pilgrimage
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On the other side of the border, in Jerusalem, the atmosphere is also solemn. "There are many Christian communities: the Orthodox, the Armenians, the Catholics, the Protestants," adds Jean-David, a resident of Tel Aviv. And at Christmas, each Church organizes its feast with variants. Again, the religious festivities remain near places of worship.
Holy places very popular with tourists
To continue in the biblical places, direction the north of Israel and discover by boat the waters of Lake Tiberias, where Jesus would have walked on the water. By the way, it is possible to stop along the Jordan, this river where tourists flock to be baptized in the same place as Christ would have been. Last step: Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation. Considered the largest church in the Middle East, it was built on the old house of Mary.
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Погода позволила выезать из дома. Отправились в Назарет. Базилика Благовещения и источник из которого набирала воду Мария Магдалина. #israel #nazaret #basilicaoftheannunciation
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On the secular side, "Christmas is also an opportunity to party," adds Jean-David. He tells the commercial industry around Tel Aviv, in Jaffa or in the city of Haifa. The atmosphere is festive and the nightclubs numerous. “Haifa even released a municipal budget for these festivities. "
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#haifacity #haifa #haifachristmastime # christmasishere🎄 #christmasishere # christmastime🎄 # حيفا❤️ # حيفانا # חיפה #tree_love # haifacity💙
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Because each year, the city organizes the Festival of the Festival of celebrations which celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah (the festival of lights) and Aïd al-Adha (the festival of sacrifice). “What does the money spent by these cities to attract tourists matter: for Christians, Christmas is Bethlehem. Here we pray for the whole world ”, underlines an Palestinian political source on condition of anonymity. But to reach Bethlehem from Jerusalem, "you have to pass a checkpoint, and it can take several hours," says Manon Segret, creator of trips in the Arab world at Nomade Aventure. Free buses have even been set up between the two cities. As for knowing how many tourists find themselves celebrating Christmas at the checkpoint ... History does not tell.
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