Christians journey to Bethlehem

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A visitor lights a candle on Tuesday at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Associated Press/Photo by Majdi Mohammed

At least 15,000 foreigners were staying overnight in Bethlehem for Christmas in 2019, Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maaya said. Thousands of Christians made a pilgrimage to the city where Jesus was born to celebrate with the local community. A wall divides Bethlehem into two sections, one under Israeli control and the other under Palestinian control.

What have the pilgrims come to see? Festivities in Bethlehem include a midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity on the site where Jesus may have been born and a large faux Christmas tree in Manger Square. A Palestinian guesthouse known as the Walled Off Hotel offers a less traditional option: a Nativity scene by mysterious street artist Banksy. The piece, dubbed Scar of Bethlehem, shows the manger scene backed by a wall with a bullet hole trail leading to a star, also made of bullet holes.

Dig deeper: Read the latest update on nearly 1,000 Palestinian Christians in Gaza waiting on their permit approval to cross into Bethlehem for Christmas.

Samantha Gobba

Samantha is a freelancer for WORLD Digital. She is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute, holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hillsdale College, and has a multiple-subject teaching credential from California State University. Samantha resides in Chico, Calif., with her husband and their two sons.