Palestinian Christians held a sombre Christmas vigil in Bethlehem on Saturday, at the church situated on the spot where it’s believed Jesus Christ was born. In a nativity scene deliberately strewn with barbed wire and rubble in Manger Square, there were candle-lit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual festive celebrations.
Most years, Bethlehem basks in the central place it holds in the story of Jesus’ life, born in a stable because there was no room for his parents at the inn, and placed in an animal’s manger, the humblest of all possible beds.
Some 2,000 years later, pilgrims usually flock to the reputed location of that stable in Bethlehem’s Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity, where most Christmases there are joyful displays of lights and trees in Manger Square.
By:premierchristian
