For two and a half months, Jerusalem Christian woman Jida Qamshita has sat in front of her television screen around the clock to follow news of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, refusing to prepare for this Christmas, even though she has done so every year in the past. Eagerly looking forward to this festival.
The Jerusalem woman does not set up or decorate a Christmas tree in her home, even though, according to her, it is considered one of the most joyful customs and rituals of the holiday, and because Christians around the world—especially Palestinian Christians— — are all waiting for the arrival of Christmas Day, and celebrating and participating in prayers in Bethlehem.
Yet as this year’s celebrations faded, so did the preparations, and Kamushta doesn’t remember the courtyard of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity being decorated with any Christmas trees and ornaments, nor does she remember the movement of Christian pilgrims from the Holy Land at some point this year. Disappeared.
Kamshita said, “On this year’s anniversary of the birth of Christ, our country is sad and our people are being massacred. How can anyone celebrate it normally? My only wish is for peace and that we can be free. To live in a safe place like everyone else in the world, our children can have peace of mind and safety.”
Jida Qamshita, a Christian woman in Jerusalem, sat in front of the TV screen to follow the news of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Against the backdrop of the massacre carried out by the occupying forces, she could not feel any joy about Christmas (Al Jazeera)
The celebration has been cancelled.
Like Kamshtar, other Christians in Jerusalem, especially those in the Old City, could not wake up on the morning of December 24 this year to the sound of the Boy Scout parade – which is usually organized on this day each year. activities, the Patriarch will also leave the Latin Patriarchate in the Old City of Jerusalem and celebrate Christmas Mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
On the occasion of Christmas, the Boy Scouts of Jerusalem usually hold two main parades. The first is organized when the Christmas tree is lighted in the Old City, especially near the “New Gate”, and the second is held every December. Organized on the morning of the 24th.
Elias Habash, the leader of the Arab Catholic Scouts group, told Al Jazeera that for the first time in years, the 250-strong group of children and adults had received no training on Christmas celebrations.
Habash added, “At this time in previous years, we were all at the peak of the pressure and we were training long hours every day, but this year, all of that has disappeared, but it’s nothing compared to the damage that the country is going through. .This injury completely changes everything.”
He also emphasized that the Arab Catholic Scouts, headquartered in the Old City of Jerusalem, continues to carry out scouting and volunteer activities, but has suspended all parades and entertainment activities since October 7 this year.
The Old City of Jerusalem will not hold the same lively Christmas celebrations as in previous years (Al Jazeera)
Is the war buried?
Not only have the sounds of Boy Scout drills in Jerusalem faded away, but the Christmas songs that used to ring from the balconies of Christian homes at this time have also disappeared and are limited to one hymn: “On Christmas Eve, hatred is wiped out. On Christmas Eve, war is buried .Christmas Eve, love grows.”
But the war was not yet buried, and its noise had been drowning out all other sounds for weeks. As a result, Bishop Suhail Dawani, former bishop of the Arab Evangelical Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, said this year’s holiday will be used only for limited religious observances.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dawani emphasized that this year he will pray for all those who are suffering and those who face murder and violence, adding that the message of Christmas has always been a message of love and peace, and the prayers of believers in the church On the lips will be spoken messages of love and peace, and hymns sung to this end.
Yusuf Daher, coordinator of the World Council of Churches’ office in Jerusalem, told Al Jazeera that there are about 9,000 Christians in Jerusalem, half of whom live in the Old City, and they are not satisfied with the arrival of Christmas this year. Because the whole country is enveloped in an atmosphere of sadness.
Daher said that just as they are not celebrating the holiday, no tourists are coming to Bethlehem and Jerusalem this year to enjoy the festive atmosphere or to enjoy the divinity that dominates the holiday’s midnight masses.
Daher: Nearly 9,000 Christians in Jerusalem do not feel the joy of Christmas (Al Jazeera)
bethlehem
Bethlehem is often seen as a destination for Palestinian Christians at this time of year – they go there before, during and after Christmas – but this year, like every other West Bank city since the war began, except All but one of Bethlehem’s other entrances have been closed, and Palestinians spend a long time trying to get through this one remaining entrance.
The Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land released this year’s Christmas message, in which it stated: “We – Christians – express our solidarity with all those who have suffered in war, and Christmas remains a time of prayer and reflection for those who suffer A holiday with deep meaning.”
The committee added, “This year we walk to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to pray and ask for the joy God has promised us. We are people of hope. We place our hope in God. We are sure that we will never be alone, and we know God has chosen our land and will dispel our darkness.”
The Christmas message concluded, “We ask all those who celebrate Christmas around the world to join us in praying for peace in Bethlehem, Gaza and throughout the Holy Land. Together we pray for an end to the violence, the liberation of all prisoners and a permanent ceasefire .”
In about two weeks, this year’s Christmas will come to an end, and Christians are wondering whether it will also end the ongoing war in Gaza and the abuses perpetrated by settlers against Christians in Jerusalem.
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2023-12-23 10:15:07
