“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7)
Highlights of the feast
December 24
Bethlehem*, Church of Nativity -
Noon: The Patriarchal procession leaves from the Old City in Jerusalem to the Monastery of Mar Elias, and proceeds thence to the Church of the Nativity via the Bethlehem checkpoint.
Midnight: The Midnight Mass is held at the Church of St. Catherine followed by a procession and visit to the Grotto of Nativity.
December 25
Bethlehem*: During the day, Masses are celebrated in the Church and in the Grotto.
Shepherds Field*: Special Christmas Mass is celebrated at 14:00 hours.
Christmas services are held in various Protestant churches in Bethlehem*, in Shepherds Field - Beit Sahour* and in Jerusalem (A,P).
Related sites worth visiting:
•Shepherds’ field - The sanctuary of the “Gloria
in Excelsis” in Bet-Sahur*.
•The Milk Grotto in Bethlehem*.