BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) – Bethlehem opened Thursday Christmas Eve with a string of merry bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, but few people greeted them as a coronavirus pandemic and the strict blockade dampened the celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
Similar scenes were repeated around the world as festive family reunions and full prayers that normally mark the holidays were reduced or completely canceled due to the coronavirus.
In Australia, the faithful had to book tickets online to attend social distance religious services. The Philippines banned mass gatherings and banned large families from celebrating traditional Christmas Eve dinners. The traditional door-to-door carols were canceled in Greece.
Pope Francis had planned to celebrate Mass in an almost empty Vatican service in the early hours of the evening, as new strict curfew rules began to apply.
Italians lined up in pastry shops, fish markets and grocery stores for items needed to prepare for Christmas Eve dinners, even when government officials asked families to limit their meetings to ” cenone “to a maximum of two people outside the main family unit. Earlier this week, the government banned travel between regions and police came out on Thursday enforcing the restrictions.
Celebrations elsewhere in Europe were canceled or reduced as virus infections increased across the continent and a new variant was detected that may be more contagious.
In Athens, Christmas Eve fell silent tremendously. In normal times, voices can be heard of children singing carols as they tinkle metal triangles throughout the day. The custom of decades ago, in which children go from house to house and receive small gifts, was banned this year. Groups of children managed to honor the singing tradition to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis through a video link, including students from a school for children with hearing difficulties who acted in sign language.
The government of Northern Macedonia banned outdoor celebrations and gatherings of more than four people at home. Hotels and restaurants are not allowed to host New Year’s Eve celebrations and bars and restaurants are closed from 18:00 until 20 January.
“The parties can wait, health can’t,” Health Minister Venko Flipce said in a Facebook post.
In Bethlehem, officials tried to make the most of a bad situation.
“Christmas is a holiday that renews hope in souls,” Mayor Anton Salman said. “Despite all the obstacles and challenges due to the crown and the lack of tourism, the city of Bethlehem continues to look to the future with optimism.”
The harsh, rainy weather added to the gloomy atmosphere, as dozens of people gathered in the central square of the Nativity to greet the Latin patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Youth bands playing carols on the bagpipes, accompanied by drum beaters, led a procession before the patriarch arrived in the early afternoon.
“Despite the restrictions and limitations we want to celebrate as much as possible, with family, community and joy,” said Pizzaballa, who was to lead a small midnight mass meeting later in the evening. “We want to offer hope.”
Thousands of foreign pilgrims often flock to Bethlehem to celebrate. But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning long-distance travel to areas administered by the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away.
Restrictions limited attendance to dozens of residents and a small entourage of religious officials. The evening celebrations, when pilgrims usually congregate around the Christmas tree, were canceled and the midnight mass was limited to the clergy.
The coronavirus has dealt a severe blow to the Bethlehem tourism sector, the blood of the local economy. Restaurants, hotels and gift shops have been closed.
Elsewhere, there was little holiday joy for Thailand, which depended on tourism, as the country faced an unexpected rise in virus cases, despite strict border controls that have effectively blocked the entry of tourists. travelers to the kingdom.
The Christmas and New Year holidays are often high season for the worst hotels, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues than the tropical country. Many of these companies have stopped working or decided it was worth opening them.
Shopping malls that cater largely to foreign tourists built imposing artificial Christmas trees. Some hotels that remained open put their usual buffets for expatriate residents and elite members with money from Thailand.
But any hope of a return to normalcy has faded in recent days as the country registered a new group of more than 1,000 cases. Authorities responded by announcing new restrictions in Bangkok and other areas that included the cancellation of New Year celebrations.
Until recently, Australians were expecting a relatively COVID-19-free Christmas after travel restrictions across state borders eased in recent weeks in the absence of community transmission tests. But holiday plans were thrown into chaos when three cases detected on 17 December exposed a new cluster in northern Sydney. As additional cases were detected, the states closed their borders again.
Peta Johnson, a resident of North Queensland, had prepared to welcome her recently widowed father from Sydney. Travel restrictions have suspended travel until February.
“He is absolutely heartbroken because he wants to spend some time with us and rest from Sydney and everything that has happened,” he said.
Churches required the faithful to reserve tickets for services. Brett Méndez, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Perth, said St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral would limit services to 650 faithful, just over half the normal level.
Although many places around the world maintained or increased restrictions for Christmas, Lebanon was an exception. With its divided economy and parts of its capital destroyed by a massive port explosion on August 4, Lebanon has lifted most anti-virus measures ahead of the holidays, hoping to boost spending. Tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates have come home for vacations, prompting fears of an inevitable rise in cases during the holiday season.
Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East (about a third of its 5 million people) and traditionally celebrates Christmas with much fanfare.
A giant Christmas tree in central Beirut is decorated with firefighters ’uniforms to commemorate those killed in the port explosion. Another tree represents the old houses of Beirut destroyed by the explosion.
“The people around us were tired, depressed and exhausted, so we said we planted a drop of joy and love,” said Sevine Ariss, one of the organizers of a Christmas fair along the coastal road where l ‘explosion caused more damage.
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Federman reported from Jerusalem. Nicole Winfield in Rome, Adam Schreck in Bangkok, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Zeina Karam in Beirut, Konstantin Testorides in Skopje, Northern Macedonia and Nicholas Paphitis in Athens.