朝圣者涌入西岸城市伯利恒欢庆圣诞

Thousands of pilgrims have converged on the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations hosted by the Palestinian Authority.

数以千计的朝圣者圣诞夜汇集到约旦河西岸城市伯利恒，参加由巴勒斯坦当局主持的圣诞庆祝活动。

Palestinian boy and girl scouts kicked off festive Christmas Eve celebrations with a march through Manger Square. It was a combination of Palestinian nationalism and religion. The square was decked out with Christmas trees and lights, as well as Palestinian flags and a big poster of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

巴勒斯坦男女少年游行通过马槽广场，揭开了圣诞前夜欢庆的序幕。庆祝活动是巴勒斯坦民族主义和宗教的结合。这个广场装饰了圣诞树和彩灯，还有巴勒斯坦旗帜以及一幅前巴勒斯坦领导人阿拉法特的画像。

Religious ceremonies began with the arrival of the Latin Patriarch, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

罗马天主教在伯利恒的宗教领袖拉丁礼宗主教的抵达揭开了宗教庆祝仪式。

The patriarch led a procession of priests and monks in white robes into the ancient Church of the Nativity, which is built over the spot where it is believed Mary gave birth to Jesus.

这位宗主教引领身穿白色教袍的牧师和僧侣走进了古老的圣诞教堂，这座教堂就座落在据信圣母玛利亚生下耶稣基督的地点。

Thousands of pilgrims from around the world thronged to Bethlehem to join the celebrations and visit the Grotto of the Nativity. Abbe Itohan Mericy came from Rivers State, Nigeria.

数以千计来自世界各地的朝圣者涌向伯利恒，来参加这里的庆祝活动，并参观耶稣基督诞生的地点。从尼日利亚远道而来的枚利西表达了她的喜悦心情。“By seeing the places I had read [about] in the Bible, it gives me joy. The birthplace of Jesus Christ is a wonderful feeling, so it gives me a sense of fulfillment,” said Mericy.

她说：“看到了我在圣经中读到过的这个地方，让我感到喜悦。耶稣基督的出生地给人无限美好的感觉，给我带来的是一种满足感。”

For Palestinian Christians, like Noel Yaakoub Yasser, the holiday is bittersweet.

对巴勒斯坦的基督徒来说，圣诞节的到来让他们感到又喜又忧。

“I feel so happy. I love to be here on Christmas,” said Yasser.

基督徒诺埃尔.亚瑟说：“我感到喜悦，我喜欢在圣诞节到这里庆祝。”

But Bethlehem is surrounded by Israel’s separation barrier, which was built about eight years ago after a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. Yasser said the wall is collective punishment.

但是伯利恒被以色列的隔离墙包围着，这些高高的围墙是大约8年前修建的，之前发生了一波巴勒斯坦人制造的自杀式炸弹攻击。亚瑟说，这些高墙是对集体的惩罚。

“What can we do? They built the wall and nobody can stop them. It feels like a prison,” said Yasser.

他说：“我们怎么办？他们筑起这些高墙，没人能阻挡他们。让人感觉好像是座监狱。”

Bethlehem Mayor Victor Betarseh said he hopes that Christmas next year will be celebrated in an independent Palestinian state.

伯利恒市长维克多.巴塔尔萨说，他希望明年的圣诞庆祝活动在一个独立的巴勒斯坦国内举行。