For the first time since 2022, a giant Christmas tree glows again over Bethlehem. Its red, green and yellow lights shimmer above Manger Square, casting warm light on the West Bank city.

As thousands flood the area this time of year, the scene looks like a return to normality.

However, nothing in Bethlehem has been normal. The 65-foot tree stands this season not just as a symbol of festivity. It is a declaration of insistence amid grief, and a war that has reshaped every aspect of Palestinian life.

The last time Bethlehem held a public Christmas celebration was before the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel. Then came the war in Gaza — first weeks, then months, then years — before a recent ceasefire brokered by the U.S. brought things to a stop. Although Gaza is 37 miles from Bethlehem, the distance has never felt meaningful. In fact, many families in the West Bank know someone who has died in the conflict.

Thousands attended the tree lighting that was held earlier this month. Among them was Randa Bsoul, a 67-year-old from Haifa, who told Reuters: “We came to celebrate, watch and enjoy, because for several years we haven’t had the chance.”

The war has destroyed much of the economy of the Palestinian territories. This area — so important to Christians around the world as the birth place of Jesus — lives primarily on pilgrims and Christmas tour companies. When I visited Israel this past October, shopkeepers told me the past two years had been terrible for business. More checkpoints have had a chilling effect on tourism, cutting off entire communities in the process.  

Nearby is the Church of the Nativity. The grotto holds a special religious significance to Christians of all denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto — the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity — and the church are the oldest major sites in all the Holy Land.

Of the four Gospels, both Matthew and Luke mention the birth of Jesus, both placing it in Bethlehem. Luke 2:7 mentions the manger: “She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

The church itself was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great after his mother Helena’s visit to the region in the year 325. Built on the site traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus, the original basilica was likely built between the years 330 and 333.

The church was destroyed by fire during the Samaritan revolts of the sixth century, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built a number of years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian.

While largely unchanged since the reconstruction, the church has seen numerous repairs and additions, especially from the Crusader period, such as two bell towers (which are now gone), wall mosaics and paintings. Over the centuries, the surrounding compound was expanded. Today, the church covers approximately 129,000 square feet, comprising three different monasteries: one Catholic, one Armenian Apostolic and one Greek Orthodox.

Beyond the church, Bethlehem hopes the truce between Israel and Hamas endures – but the death and destruction that has taken place is not forgotten.  

“As Bethlehem lights its Christmas tree, the deep anguish endured by our people in Gaza does not leave our hearts,” Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati told reporters. “The wound of Gaza is our wound, the people of Gaza are our people, and the light of Christmas has no meaning unless it first touches the hearts of the afflicted, and the oppressed all over Palestine.”

What this year’s tree provides the people of Bethlehem is a moment, albeit temporary, in which people can gather. This communal event — not one of protest, but in shared yearning for joy — is what Christmas is all about this season for a land in much need of peace.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente por Religión desconectada.

Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and longtime reporter at The New York Post.