Carols and bells in Bethlehem as Christmas draws near
People stand at Manger Square in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Christmas cheer rang out through Bethlehem's Manger Square on Monday as pilgrims and worshippers flocked to the city revered as Jesus's birthplace and locals made final preparations for this year's festivities.
Children dressed as Santa Claus sang carols and rang bells during a Christmas-themed show at the College des Freres, which sits in the biblical city's central market where holiday decorations and wooden nativity scenes line the narrow alleys.
The main attractions in Bethlehem are the 4th-century Church of the Nativity, built over a grotto where Christian tradition says Jesus was born, and the 16-metre (52-foot) Christmas tree in Manger Square.
Palestinian schoolchildren visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
On Tuesday - Christmas Eve - the acting Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, will lead a procession from Jerusalem to nearby Bethlehem and later celebrate Midnight Mass in the Church of the Nativity, squeezing through its narrow sandstone entrance.
Bethlehem's Christmas season lasts through the Eastern Orthodox celebration on Jan. 7 to Armenian Christmas on Jan. 18.
The season offers measured cheer for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city, which is separated from nearby Jerusalem by a towering Israeli concrete military barrier.
Schoolchildren attend a lesson in a classroom in College Des Freres school in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
Bethlehem is enjoying its busiest tourist year in two decades, with foreign pilgrims coming in large numbers, taking advantage of a relative lull in Israeli-Palestinian tension.
Israel said on Sunday it would allow Christians in the Palestinian Gaza Strip to visit Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, reversing an earlier decision not to issue them permits.
A woman shoots a video of Palestinian children performing in a Christmas-themed show in College Des Freres school in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
(Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
A Palestinian Christian woman walks at her home as the Israeli wall is seen behind her, in Bethlehem the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian Christian woman looks through the window of her home that is adjacent to the Israeli wall, in Bethlehem the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA man holds balloons at Manger Square in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA cat is seen next to a section of the Israeli wall in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian boy wearing a mask enjoys a ride in a park in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian worker carves figurines from olive wood to be sold during Christmas season, at a workshop in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaVisitors light candles in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA nurse holds a newborn at the Holy Family hospital in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA tourist walks past a mural on the Israeli wall depicting U.S. President Donald Trump, in Bethlehem the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian woman helps her son wear a Santa Claus costume during a Christmas-themed show in College Des Freres school in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA man looks at a baptismal font in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 18, 2019. Picture taken December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian boy dressed as Santa Claus performs in a Christmas-themed show in College Des Freres school in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian boy dressed as Santa Claus performs in a Christmas-themed show in College Des Freres school in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA man dressed as Santa Claus holds a baby at Manger Square in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen SawaftaA Palestinian woman holds her newborn boy as her relative hands out sweets at the Holy Family hospital in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 17, 2019. Picture taken December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
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