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Since it is such a wonderful season, Palestinians Christians still insist on having three Christmases every year! As opposed to Jordanian Christians, for instance, who have set 25 December to be Christmas for all Christians in Jordan, here in Palestine, 25 December is only celebrated by members of Western Christian churches; 7 January is Christmas for the Eastern Orthodox churches, and, as if that were not enough, 18 January is celebrated by the Armenian Orthodox Church. Three Christmases, three sets of scouts, three traditional patriarchal processions into Bethlehem, and three midnight masses; what fun! Actually, it is fun, particularly for children who decorate their Christmas trees, go to Christmas parties, and, of course, receive presents from Santa. For adults, here and all over the world, this season means plenty of social and family gatherings, good food, and a lot of shopping!
As we follow the local media these days, we get the impression that there have been more public Christmas celebrations than usual this year; and almost all have been patronised by senior Palestinian Authority officials such as Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Irrespective of whether this is true or not, Palestinian Christians are, in fact, lucky to be living here since they are, by and large, accepted, respected, and appreciated by the non-Christian majority of society. Numbering less than two percent of the total population, Palestinian Christians celebrate their religious feasts boldly and openly with no fear of persecution or even criticism; this is in stark contrast to the Christians in Kirkuk, Iraq, who have cancelled their Christmas celebrations this year for fear of attacks against them by extremists. Celebrating Christmas openly in Palestine is how it has always been done and how it should always be done not only because Palestinian society has always been tolerant, but because Palestinian Christians are, in fact, an integral part of the Palestinian social fabric and, like everyone else, have suffered under the yoke of occupation and injustice. The way we celebrate here should be considered a model for a multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic society. While respecting their personal beliefs, I do not believe in segregating Palestinian Christians or rather in Palestinian Christians segregating themselves. Their destiny is to be part of this land, and segregation negates this destiny.
It is no secret that Christian emigration from Palestine is a fact and, indeed, a problem which is mainly caused, as studies have shown, by the Israeli occupation and harsh living conditions. The problem should be addressed seriously through a concerted effort by political and religious leaders from both within and without Palestine. I believe that people in positions of local authority, with their current resources, not only mean well but are actually doing their best to stop this emigration. Enforcing the rule-of-law is, no doubt, a step in the right direction. A public show of support, similar to the visits of Prime Minister Fayyad to predominantly Christian villages and towns, is also commendable. While local religious leaders are doing what they can to curb this negative emigration, local NGOs, such as the Holy Land Ecumenical Foundation in Bethlehem, are doing a lot of good work to improve people’s living conditions (e.g., renovating homes) and thus encouraging Palestinian Christians to remain in Palestine. Contrary to common belief, international support for Palestinian Christians is not up to the magnitude of the problem; paradoxically, however, this may be for the better since I believe that local Palestinians should shoulder the problem of Palestinian Christians emigrating from Palestine. Having said that, though, ending the Israeli occupation would go a long way towards solving the problem and transforming it into one that is similar to that faced by all developing countries.
In a nutshell, Palestinian Christians have it relatively good; although, like all Palestinians, they are stifled by Israeli occupation. For years now, Christians from Ramallah have not been able to attend the funerals of relatives who have died in Jerusalem, unless they have been fortunate enough to possess a very difficult-to-get Israeli permit; neither can Christians from Gaza even hope to gain access to Jerusalem, except in rare circumstances, in order to pray in the Holy Sepulchre.
Palestinian Christians are beyond proving themselves and are, in fact, proud, indigenous Christian Arabs who have been living here since Christianity began. Palestine, after all, is the privileged birthplace of Christianity.
No matter when you celebrate Christmas, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
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