(Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
By Claire Gounon - December 24, 2021
Tens of thousands of people visited Nazareth on Friday for the traditional Christmas procession despite the lack of international tourists, a welcome change for residents after last year’s cancellation of major events due to the pandemic.
The atmosphere in the city where Christians believe Jesus lived was cheery as the parade moved from the Temple of Mary along Paul VI Street, with visitors bustling along between shops and stalls offering food and holiday trinkets.
The event was lively despite fears of rising infections as a result of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
With Israel closed to tourists and its citizens restricted from traveling abroad, the mainly Arab city of Nazareth, normally a magnet for Christian pilgrims, has been thronged with Jewish visitors.
Livnat Kizner, from central Israel, told Ynet that visiting the city was a good substitute for a trip abroad. “It’s very reminiscent of Europe, in the sounds, the smells, the experience. You can definitely have fun in Israel in such places and not fly,” she said.
Read More: Times of Israel