Palestinians enjoyed a day at a Christmas market in Ramallah in the West Bank on Saturday 4 December.

Locals of were seen browsing market stalls offering both Christianity-themed materials and commercial Xmas market fare. Others enjoyed light displays and posed for photos alongside someone dressed as Santa.

The occupied Palestinian territory has a significant Christian minority, and is home to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem is switching on its Christmas lights on Saturday 4 December but festivities are also occurring elsewhere in both the West Bank and Israel.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: APAwire CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: APAwire - APAwire CLIENTS ONLY, Ramallah - 3 December 2021. Palestinian Christian shop at Christmas market in the West Bank city of Ramallah, as prepare to celebrate Christmas

STORYLINE:

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.

Footage by/APAwire