They Prayed on the Lawns Instead
Inside the Israeli campaign to disrupt every Palestinian holiday — and why it keeps failing.
Holidays in Palestine are special in a way that is unlike holidays elsewhere in the world. In Bethlehem, a city that boasts a sizable Muslim and Christian Palestinian population, it can sometimes feel that in the years before the US-Israeli genocidal aggression on Gaza, the holidays didn’t end. For example, Christmas preparations begin at the beginning of December and festivities do not cease until after the last Christmas, celebrated by the Armenian Church in Bethlehem on January 18. This year, Ramadan began less than a month later with Lent alongside it, followed by Palm Sunday, and on their way now are Easter and Eid Al-Adha.
But holidays are not different because they feel endless — rather, they feel endless because of the myriad of sects and religions represented, and their shared, public expression. It doesn’t matter if you are Muslim, Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, or none of the above — everyone in the city comes to see the Christmas tree lit up and take selfies in front of it. Everyone marvels at the Ramadan decorations scattered throughout town and lines up to purchase katayef from their local vendor. Everyone is happy to see photos of their neighbors’ beautiful, smiling faces in the Al Aqsa compound.
