A Palestinian Christian girl holds a Santa Claus balloon in Bethlehem. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

As the Christmas season approaches, the IMEU presents a collection of photos from Bethlehem, the southern West Bank town that Christians revere as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

A scenic town with an ancient pedestrianized Old City at its core, Bethlehem attracts tourists to its holy sites - among them the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Fields - and the handicraft shops clustered around the central Manger Square.

Special celebrations for Christmas are planned in Bethlehem on December 24th and 25th. Local community groups, like the Bethlehem Peace Center, will bring together Bethlehem's Christian and Muslim communities for exhibits of Palestinian art, music, folkloric dances and theater on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day, tourists and locals will team up for home visits to impoverished areas, followed by Christmas caroling and a candlelight procession.

The Church of the Nativity will host its annual Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, an event attended by local Christians, pilgrims and dignitaries from around the world. And thousands are expected to gather in Manger Square on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar.

Yet despite the Christmas festivities, many in Bethlehem will struggle this year. Economic and political hardships persist as a result of Israel's ongoing military occupation and separation wall that nearly encircles the city and cuts it off from Jerusalem and the northern West Bank.

According to the United Nations, since 2002 when construction of the wall began, the number of tourists arriving in Bethlehem has dropped by over 90 percent. But according to the Palestinian Authority, recent efforts of its Tourism Ministry and increased international awareness of the situation in the city have slowly begun to reverse this trend.

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Preparing for Christmas in the birthplace of Christ

A Palestinian child wears a Santa hat in Bethlehem in celebration of the Christmas season. (Haytham Othman, Maan Images)

Palestinian municipality workers decorate Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

A marching band plays in a parade celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

A Palestinian girl shops for gifts at the Christmas market on Manger Square, in the center of Bethlehem's Old City. (Haytham Othman, Maan Images)

Palestinian children view the traditional nativity scene on display for Christmas at the Peace Center. (Amanda Nunn, IMEU)

Inside the Church of the Nativity

Christian pilgrims visit the Church of the Nativity as the Christmas season gets into full swing in Bethlehem. (Amanda Nunn, IMEU)

The alter of the church is adorned with multi-colored ornaments in celebration of the Christmas season. (Amanda Nunn, IMEU)

A Christian pilgrim prays before an Orthodox icon in the Church of the Nativity. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

A group of Catholic nuns from the Holy See pray inside the Grotto of the Nativity, the place where Christian tradition holds that Jesus Christ was born. (Amanda Nunn, IMEU)

The ceramic baby Jesus, which will be carried to the alter of the Church of the Nativity by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem at midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

Photos © 2008 Maan Images and the Institute for Middle East Understanding. For republishing permission, contact the IMEU at info@imeu.net.