The activities of Christmas celebrations started according to the Western calendar in the city of Bethlehem, in preparation for the midnight mass to celebrate the birthday of Christ.
Scouts teams roamed the city streets and the vicinity of the Church of the Nativity, while the procession of the Apostolic Director of the Latin Church, Bishop Pierre Batista, starts from Jerusalem to the northern entrance to Bethlehem, at the separation wall.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian leaders and ambassadors are expected to arrive to attend the midnight mass.
The occupation authorities allowed 193 Christians in the Gaza Strip to participate in the celebrations, while it is expected that it will fulfill its promise to allow all Christians in Gaza after declaring that they are allowed without age restrictions.
Since Monday, Medina Square, across from the Church of the Nativity, is crowded with a large crowd of many children wearing Santa Claus costume, while tourists take pictures in front of a decorated 15-meter-tall tree.
Inside the church, pilgrims lined up to visit the cave, which is believed to be the birthplace of Christ. Outside the church in the winter sun, Palestinian boy scouts were beating drums as part of the event's scouting shows.
And the Christmas celebrations in the city this year enjoy additional privacy, as a few weeks ago a small piece of the remains of the manger, where Christ was placed upon his birth, was returned to the Holy Land as a gift from Pope Francis, after about 14 centuries of its move to Europe.
"Today, after about 1379 years, part of the manger has returned to the Holy Land, and it will remain in the city of Bethlehem forever," said the Guardian of the Holy Land, Francisco Patton.