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Locals visiting the Christmas tree in front of the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 22, 2020. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)
BETHLEHEM, West Bank Deprived of its usual tourist influx by the pandemic, Bethlehem will celebrate a quiet Christmas this year that is less about commerce and more about religion, says its parish priest.
In a normal year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flood the Palestinian city in the West Bank, located less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from Jerusalem.
Those seeking a quiet moment of contemplation in the Church of the Nativity the site of Christ’s birth, according to tradition generally have to use their elbows to maneuver through the crowds.
Quiet Bethlehem means ‘less business, more religion’
AFP, BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories
Deprived of its usual tourist influx by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bethlehem is to celebrate a quiet Christmas this year that is less about commerce and more about religion, its parish priest said.
In a normal year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flood the Palestinian city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, less than 10km from Jerusalem.
Those seeking a quiet moment of contemplation in the Church of the Nativity the site of Christ’s birth, according to tradition generally have to use their elbows to maneuver through the crowds.
A priest prays during a mass at the Holy Cave in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Sunday.