Christmas reborn in Bethlehem

By Agence France-Presse

Dec 26, 2022 12:03 am

BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories: With a giant evergreen tree, colorful balloons in the streets and selfies in the Church of the Nativity, Christmas tourism has returned to Bethlehem after two years of coronavirus-related restrictions.

Revered in Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus, the town welcomes thousands of pilgrims and tourists for Christmas every year, a windfall that dried up over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel curbs.

LITTLE LORD A Mass attendant kneels before an image of the baby Jesus placed on the site where Christians believe he was born, inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. AFP PHOTO

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