{"id":55164,"date":"2025-12-08T13:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T13:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/55164\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T13:15:11","slug":"bethlehem-marks-return-of-christmas-celebrations-with-packed-tree-lighting-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/55164\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem marks return of Christmas celebrations with packed tree lighting event"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnAn aerial view of Bethlehem\u2019s Manger Square shows large crowds gathered around the illuminated Christmas tree during the city\u2019s first public celebration in two years.\u00a0Courtesy of Bethlehem Municipality<\/p>\n

\u201cArise, shine, Bethlehem, for the light of peace has dawned anew.\u201d With these words, Bethlehem celebrated the traditional lighting of its Christmas tree on a packed Manger Square on Dec. 6, 2025, following a two-year hiatus.<\/p>\n

The ceremony \u2013 attended by church leaders, Palestinian officials, international diplomats, and local families \u2013 marked Bethlehem\u2019s first public Christmas gathering since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. City leaders framed the lighting as both a spiritual milestone and a communal act of resilience, declaring that the \u201clight of peace\u201d continues to shine from the birthplace of Christ despite the hardship in the region.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati welcomed the large turnout, noting that it reflected Bethlehem\u2019s global spiritual significance. He emphasized that the city of the Nativity continues to stand tall despite its suffering, renewing its light for the world through the message of Christmas, a message rooted in justice, freedom, and human dignity.<\/p>\n

Representing the Palestinian president, Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, affirmed that Christmas carries a message of hope born in a simple manger more than two thousand years ago\u2014one that changed the face of the world. He emphasized that the birth of Christ is not merely a historical moment but an ongoing birth of hope for true peace amid darkness, a reminder that light finds its way no matter how deep the hardship.<\/p>\n

After his remarks, prayers for peace were offered, and patriarchs blessed the Christmas tree before its lights rose over the Bethlehem sky.<\/p>\n

The evening concluded with a spiritual Christmas production presented by the Bethlehem Municipality titled \u201cFrom the Shadows of War\u2026 Peace Is Born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe moment the Christmas tree lit up in Manger Square, drawing cheers from the crowd as Bethlehem marked the return of its public Christmas celebrations.\u00a0Courtesy of Bethlehem Municipality<\/p>\n

A renewed message of hope<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Christmas tree lighting ceremony also sparked new hope for Christian leaders in the region who welcomed the large turnout and the symbolism of unity.<\/p>\n

Latin\u00a0Bishop\u00a0William Shomali from Beit Sahour in the Bethlehem district told\u00a0Christian Daily International that he experienced the Christmas tree lighting ceremony for 2025 as a truly special event. \u201cIt was distinguished by the number of participants and dignitaries who accepted the invitation, the generosity of international and local sponsors, and the quality of the program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He noted that the program included a message to Bethlehem from Pope Leo XIV, a video greeting from world-renowned artist Andrea Bocelli, and musical selections performed by singers from various church traditions. \u201cOnce again, Bethlehem proved itself to be the capital of Christmas,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"LeadersLeaders from various Christian traditions stand together on stage during the Bethlehem Christmas tree lighting, offering prayers and messages of unity and hope.\u00a0Courtesy of Bethlehem Municipality<\/p>\n

For evangelical leaders, the event not only reflected the Christmas message of hope for peace but also served as a reminder that Jesus himself was born into a world of turmoil.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have attended many\u00a0Christmas tree lighting\u00a0ceremonies, but this was the most beautiful and\u00a0well organized,\u201d Rev. Jack Sara, Secretary General of the Middle East and North Africa branch of the World Evangelical Alliance, told Christian Daily International. Highlighting the discipline despite the large number of attendees, he said, \u201cIt felt like everyone was hoping and praying for the success of the event and for the return of hope to our Palestinian people after the dark last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sara noted that the theme of the event and the carols were all biblical based, and said, “I hope that the light of Jesus, the light of peace and justice, prevails in our region.”<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the resumption of the traditional celebration after the hiatus, Shireen Awwad Hilal, Director of Outreach at Bethlehem Bible College, told Christian Daily International that this year, \u201cour joy is quieter but deeper, rooted in the promise that the light of Christ continues to shine through every dark valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilal pointed to the people of Gaza living in fragile shelters, facing the season with more uncertainty than warmth. \u201cYet in this difficult moment, we remember that the first Christmas was born in a place of hardship, too. Hope entered the world not in comfort, but in a humble manger, reminding us that God\u2019s light seeks out even the darkest valleys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christmas celebrations also renew hope for resumption of tourism<\/p>\n

One of the effects of the war in Gaza was that it brought tourism in the Palestinian Territories to a halt, severely affecting families and businesses that depend on visitors and pilgrims for their income. However, tourism expert Tony Khashram now said early indicators suggest that 2026 could see a gradual recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are preliminary bookings for 2026 from Germany, France, America, Britain, Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia, but they are still on paper, pending further stabilization of the situation,\u201d Khashram told Christian Daily International. He added that airlines have already begun resuming flights through Lod Airport.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlongside the large turnout in Bethlehem, which has boosted local hotels and restaurants, we are starting to see stronger bookings for both Bethlehem and East Jerusalem hotels,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

The renewed Christmas celebrations, therefore, offered not only spiritual encouragement but also a measure of economic hope for a region eager to rebuild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An aerial view of Bethlehem\u2019s Manger Square shows large crowds gathered around the illuminated Christmas tree during the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,30613,155,154,30618,30619,30617,30615,30616,30614],"class_list":{"0":"post-55164","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-christmas-tree-lighting-2025","10":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","11":"tag-bethlehem-news","12":"tag-bethlehem-tourism-recovery-2026","13":"tag-christian-leaders-bethlehem-event","14":"tag-gaza-war-impact-on-bethlehem","15":"tag-manger-square-celebration","16":"tag-palestinian-christian-community","17":"tag-return-of-christmas-festivities-bethlehem"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}