The Christmas season here at the West Bank is long. It started early in December with Christmas lights in Bethlehem and is still going on with the Orthodox Christmas this week (a majority of the Christians in Beit Sahour are Orthodox).
A major difference between Christmas here and Christmas in Norway is the sound level, I think. It looks like Norwegians and Western people in general think of Christmas as a silent time. Just think of the first lines of this Christmas carol:
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie,
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by...
Not to forget other Christmas carols like "Silent night" and "Det lyser i stille grender". In Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, people rather seem to think that when a saviour is born, you ought to make some sound. Maybe they are inspired by the angels who sang for the shepherds? I suppose a host of angels is something pretty mighty to listen to.
Anyway, Christmas here is a holiday full of sounds: bagpipe prosessions, children shows (with more decibel than what would ever be allowed in Norway), candle prosessions (of course accompanied by music on a loud speaker) and young people driving their cars (also with music) through the streets late at night. This week the Greek Orthodox church chose to put their whole midnight service on the loud speakers so that everyone in the neighbourhood could hear it. It was loud and clear in my bedroom even with the windows shut and my pillow over my head. The chanting, singing and ringing of bells lasted for a couple of hours, only to let the good old call for prayers take over at around five o'clock...
Candle procession in Beit Sahour.
Still, there were some silent moments during my Palestinian Christmas as well. Stopping one December evening by a painted wall in Beit Sahour, for instance.
Or the Hannoun family sitting under their Christmas tree in East Jerusalem. After being thrown out of their home in August by religious settlers, you can find them on the street outside it every day, waiting for justice. If you want to read more about them, see Gjermund's blog. Maybe they are the best reminders of how and why Jesus was born. Or maybe we need it all in order to understand: the sounds, the silence and the call for justice.
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