Cities worldwide maintain subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts

BETHLEHEM, West Financial institution (AP) — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday within the conventional birthplace of Jesus below the shadow of war in Gaza.

The cheer that sometimes descends on the West Financial institution throughout Christmas week have been nowhere to be discovered. The festive lights and large tree that usually beautify Manger Sq. have been lacking, as have been the throngs of foreign tourists.

Palestinian scouts marched silently by way of the streets, a departure from their common raucous brass marching band. Safety forces organized obstacles close to the Church of the Nativity, constructed atop the spot the place Jesus is believed to have been born. A younger boy stood holding a pile of balloons on the market, however gave up as a result of there have been no clients to purchase them.

The cancellation of Christmas festivities is a extreme blow to the city’s economic system. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s revenue — virtually all from the Christmas season. The variety of guests to Bethlehem plunged from a pre-COVID excessive of round 2 million per 12 months in 2019 to fewer than 100,000 in 2024, mentioned Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Tourism Ministry.

A surge of violence in the West Bank, the place greater than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fireplace and dozens of Israelis have been killed in militant assaults, has enormously stalled tourism. Palestinian officers don’t present a breakdown of how lots of the deceased are civilians and what number of are fighters.

Since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war, entry to and from Bethlehem and different cities within the West Financial institution has been restricted, with lengthy strains of motorists ready to cross by way of Israeli navy checkpoints. The restrictions have prevented some 150,000 Palestinians from leaving the territory to work in Israel, inflicting the Israeli economic system to contract by 25%.

In the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 individuals, most of them civilians, and took greater than 250 Israeli hostages. Israeli officers imagine that round 100 hostages stay in captivity within the Gaza Strip.

Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest Roman Catholic cleric within the Holy Land, famous the shuttered retailers and empty streets and expressed hope that subsequent 12 months could be higher.

“This needs to be the final Christmas that’s so unhappy,” he advised tons of of individuals gathered in Manger Sq., the place usually tens of hundreds would congregate.

Pizzaballa held a particular pre-Christmas Mass within the Church of the Holy Household in Gaza Metropolis. A number of Palestinian Christians advised the Related Press that that they had been displaced within the church for the reason that conflict started in October of final 12 months with barely sufficient meals and water.

“We hope by subsequent 12 months on the identical day we’d have the ability to have a good time Christmas at our properties and go to Bethlehem,” mentioned Najla Tarazi, a displaced girl who prayed for the conflict to finish. “We don’t really feel blissful.”

Bethlehem is a crucial heart within the historical past of Christianity, however Christians make up solely a small proportion of the roughly 14 million residents unfold throughout the Holy Land. There are about 182,000 in Israel, 50,000 within the West Financial institution and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, in accordance with the U.S. State Division.

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Elsewhere, worshippers discovered connection regardless of tough occasions.

Vacationers flock to reopened Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris celebrated its first Christmas Eve Plenty since a devastating fireplace ravaged the medieval landmark in 2019.

About 2,000 individuals joined a day Mass — one in every of 4 held on Tuesday — together with worshippers and different guests marveling on the restoration of the just lately reopened cathedral. Some American vacationers in Paris crafted their journey to make sure they might attend Christmas Eve companies at Notre Dame.

“They did such a tremendous job,” mentioned customer Aly Beinert. “It seems to be stunning. It blew us away.”

The Paris Archbishop symbolically reopened Notre Dame’s grand picket doorways on Dec. 7 with three resounding knocks, with visitors together with President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. first woman Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Syrians come collectively for uncommon second of pleasure

In Saydnaya, Syria, a big crowd gathered close to a historic monastery on Christmas Eve to witness the lighting of a towering tree adorned with glowing inexperienced lights.

The celebration provided a uncommon second of pleasure in a metropolis scarred by over a decade of conflict and its notorious jail, the place tens of hundreds have been held. Households and associates stood by the illuminated tree — some carrying Santa hats, others watching from rooftops — whereas a band performed festive music and fireworks lit up the sky.

“This 12 months is completely different — there’s happiness, victory and a brand new start for Syria and a brand new start for Christ,” mentioned Houssam Saadeh, one attendee. One other, Joseph Khabbaz, expressed hope for unity throughout all sects and religions in Syria, dismissing current Christmas tree vandalism as “remoted incidents.”

U.S. households

honor victims of church college taking pictures

At Metropolis Church in Madison, Wisconsin, lead pastor Tom Flaherty urged congregants at a candlelight Christmas Eve service to open their hearts to God’s grace.

“Happiness comes from what occurs. Pleasure comes from a a lot deeper place, and it doesn’t matter what’s happening round you,” Flaherty mentioned. “So primary, pleasure comes from God’s love, and forgiveness.”

Eight days earlier, there was a lethal taking pictures within the college on the church’s campus.

Over the weekend, the congregation hosted a funeral for Rubi Patricia Vergara, the 14-year-old freshman killed when one other scholar opened fireplace. A trainer was additionally killed and several other others injured earlier than the shooter shot herself and later died at a hospital, police mentioned.

Journey woes and household reunions in different U.S. cities

American Airways briefly grounded flights throughout the U.S. on Tuesday due to a technical problem simply because the Christmas journey season kicked into overdrive. Winter climate threatened extra potential issues for these planning to fly or drive.

In Virginia, hundreds of sailors and their loved ones bought an early Christmas current when the united statesCole docked at its dwelling port in Norfolk after seven months at sea. Households bundled in coats and blankets, shed tears of gratitude and held indicators bearing the sailors’ names and images.

Volunteers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, answered calls Tuesday from curious kids inquiring about Santa’s location. A minimum of 100,000 youngsters name into the North American Aerospace Protection Command every year to trace Santa’s whereabouts. NORAD’s beloved Santa tracking tradition has endured since the Cold War, when a Colorado newspaper mistakenly printed a telephone quantity for Santa that related youngsters to the joint U.S. and Canadian protection command.

Spanish ministries deliver seafarers vacation cheer

Within the port of Barcelona, Spain, volunteers from the faith-based ministry Stella Maris visited seven ships docked there on Christmas Eve to ship Nativity scenes and the native specialty of turrón (nougat sweet) to seafarers.

The volunteers met seafarers from India, the Philippines, Turkey and elsewhere, mentioned Ricard Rodríguez-Martos, a Catholic deacon and former service provider marine captain who leads Stella Maris on this main Mediterranean harbor.

Heavy snow hits the Balkans

A snowstorm in the Balkans stranded drivers and downed energy strains Tuesday, however some noticed the wonder in it.

“I’m really glad it’s falling,” mentioned driver Mirsad Jasarevic in Zenica, Bosnia. “We didn’t have snow for Christmas for 17 years right here, and now’s the time for fantastic white Christmas.”

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Related Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake Metropolis, Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, Jeffrey Schaeffer and Marine Lesprit in Paris, and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.