Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh lit a Christmas tree at the Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Saturday (November 4).

The massive tree, topped with a bright star, was lit up with hundreds of coloured lights as fireworks went up in the night sky.

The crowd in Manger Square in front of the church was far bigger than last year, when tougher coronavirus restrictions kept even local spectators away.

Currently, Israel shut out foreign travellers as the country tries to prevent the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus from spreading but the hope is that before Christmas the ban will be lifted.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: Bethlehem- 4 December 2021. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh lights a Christmas tree at Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem

0.1 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh

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