{"id":49182,"date":"2025-12-01T17:24:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T17:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/49182\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T17:24:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T17:24:08","slug":"bethlehems-christmas-celebrations-will-resume-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/49182\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem’s Christmas Celebrations Will Resume This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published: December 1, 2025<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo from Dan Kiefer via Unsplah<\/p>\n

By Movieguide\u00ae Staff<\/p>\n

Bethlehem will resume its Christmas celebrations this year following a two-year pause due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the heart of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, the city of peace \u2014 once again, we ignite the flame of hope and raise our prayers for peace,\u201d Bethlehem\u2019s mayor, Maher Canawati, announced<\/a> on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cLet us celebrate together the message of Christmas. Glory to God in the highest \u2014 on Earth, peace, goodwill to all. Bethlehem keeps the light alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Dec. 6, Bethlehem will hold a Christmas tree lighting in Manger Square, named for the manger where Jesus lay after his birth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: Why We Need to Let God Enter Our Hears This Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n

Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, spoke to Fox News about Bethlehem\u2019s resumption of their Christmas celebrations, saying it\u2019s encouraging to see the city observing the birth of \u201cthe most important person in history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we rejoice in this temporary peace agreement, which has led to a cessation of hostilities in the area, we should recognize that such a peace is only temporary,\u201d he continued<\/a>. \u201cThe Bible teaches there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, returns to Earth to establish his kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canawati recently shared the conversation he had with Pope Leo XIV about the ongoing conflict, saying<\/a>, \u201cPeople have been leaving Bethlehem, leaving Palestine because of what\u2019s happening and what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a good time explaining to the Pope how important it is to intervene in what\u2019s happening in Palestine, in Gaza, in Bethlehem, and to preserve the living stones of the Holy Land, because the Holy Land without the living stones is just a mere museum,\u201d he continued. \u201cAlways, before I talk about Bethlehem, I always pray. And that was my first sentence to the Pope: to intervene so we can stop this war, stop what\u2019s happening to our people in Gaza. And I think this is the top priority that we actually talked about, and he agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2019, then-mayor Anton Salman told Time Magazine that Bethlehem was expecting 1.4 million visitors that holiday season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been mayor for 2.5 years. I have celebrated Christmas for three seasons and each season, [celebrations] are more organized and more attractive for the local community and for tourists,\u201d he said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many tourists are expected to visit Bethlehem\u2019s Church of the Nativity, built \u201cover the grotto that is believed to be the site of the manger in which Jesus was born in Bethlehem,\u201d per<\/a> the Encyclopedia Britannica.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Encyclopedia Britannica shared that the Church of the Nativity is \u201cthe oldest church in the Holy Land,\u201d built \u201cabout 326\u201d after being commissioned by Roman emperor Constantine I.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Church of the Nativity was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012, and since that time painstaking restoration of the structure and its interior has been undertaken, including to the main altar,\u201d the site concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christians around the world are rejoicing in the news that the city of Bethlehem is able to celebrate Christmas this year!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read Next: 25 Meaningful Ways To Prepare For Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n

Questions or comments? Please write to us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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