朝聖者涌入西岸城市伯利恆歡慶聖誕
Thousands of pilgrims have converged on the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations hosted by the Palestinian Authority.
數以千計的朝聖者聖誕夜彙集到約旦河西岸城市伯利恆，參加由巴勒斯坦當局主持的聖誕慶祝活動。
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.
巴勒斯坦男女少年遊行通過馬槽廣場，揭開了聖誕前夜歡慶的序幕。慶祝活動是巴勒斯坦民族主義和宗教的結合。這個廣場裝飾了聖誕樹和彩燈，還有巴勒斯坦旗幟以及一幅前巴勒斯坦領導人阿拉法特的畫像。
Religious ceremonies began with the arrival of the Latin Patriarch, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
羅馬天主教在伯利恆的宗教領袖拉丁禮宗主教的抵達揭開了宗教慶祝儀式。
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.
這位宗主教引領身穿白色教袍的牧師和僧侶走進了古老的聖誕教堂，這座教堂就座落在據信聖母瑪利亞生下耶穌基督的地點。
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.
數以千計來自世界各地的朝聖者涌向伯利恆，來參加這裏的慶祝活動，並參觀耶穌基督誕生的地點。從尼日利亞遠道而來的枚利西表達了她的喜悅心情。“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.
她說：“看到了我在聖經中讀到過的這個地方，讓我感到喜悅。耶穌基督的出生地給人無限美好的感覺，給我帶來的是一種滿足感。”
For Palestinian Christians, like Noel Yaakoub Yasser, the holiday is bittersweet.
對巴勒斯坦的基督徒來說，聖誕節的到來讓他們感到又喜又憂。
“I feel so happy. I love to be here on Christmas,” said Yasser.
基督徒諾埃爾.亞瑟說：“我感到喜悅，我喜歡在聖誕節到這裏慶祝。”
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.
但是伯利恆被以色列的隔離牆包圍着，這些高高的圍牆是大約8年前修建的，之前發生了一波巴勒斯坦人制造的自殺式炸彈攻擊。亞瑟說，這些高牆是對集體的懲罰。
“What can we do? They built the wall and nobody can stop them. It feels like a prison,” said Yasser.
他說：“我們怎麼辦？他們築起這些高牆，沒人能阻擋他們。讓人感覺好像是座監獄。”
Bethlehem Mayor Victor Betarseh said he hopes that Christmas next year will be celebrated in an independent Palestinian state.
伯利恆市長維克多.巴塔爾薩說，他希望明年的聖誕慶祝活動在一個獨立的巴勒斯坦國內舉行。
