Share and Follow
“It’s like a symbol of resilience,” shared 27-year-old Abeer Shtaya, who is employed at Al-Zaytoonah University of Science and Technology in Salfit, located in the West Bank.
The atmosphere was filled with joy as laughter echoed despite occasional rain showers, bringing smiles to many faces.
During the ceremony, a vendor could be seen selling coffee in Nativity Square.
“This event hadn’t taken place for the past two years due to ongoing conflict. It’s quite emotional to witness it again after years marked by war and loss,” expressed 50-year-old Liyu Lu, who journeyed from northern Israel, near the Lebanese border.
Tentative return of Christian pilgrims
Fabien Safar, guide and director of Terra Dei which organises pilgrimages to the Holy Land, said a few small groups would come for Christmas this year and he already saw some bookings for 2026.
Pilgrims “remain afraid because there’s no official end to the war” in Gaza, Safar said, adding they were also worried about the situation in Lebanon.
‘Worse than Covid’
She woke up at 6am to get a bus at 7am with a large group. They arrived at 12:30pm, she said, without any trouble.
