COVID-19 Dampens Christmas Joy in Bethlehem and Around World
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Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere :: WRAL com
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COVID scales back Bethlehem Christmas celebrations
Christmas season in Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus, is usually festive and colorful. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, celebrations in the Palestinian town will be scaled back.
There are no queues to enter the Church of the Nativity at the moment
Christmas in Bethlehem won t be canceled, but it will be significantly curtailed. Only the large Christmas tree overlooking Manger square and its wooden nativity scene appear as reminders that Christmas is just a few days away. The square in front of the Church of Nativity, where Jesus was born, is quiet during what is usually the busiest time of the year for this Palestinian town.
Tuesday, 22 December, 2020 - 05:45
A Palestinian shop-owner arranges christmas decorations at her shop in the West Bank city of Bethlehem - AFP Asharq Al-Awsat
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 Israeli-occupied West Bank, located less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from Jerusalem.
Those seeking a quiet moment of contemplation in the Church of Nativity generally have to use their elbows to manoeuvre through the crowds.