Bethlehem Celebrates Armenian Christmas

Emil Lazarian News

BETHLEHEM CELEBRATES ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS

Ma’an News Agency
x?ID=255163
Jan 18 2010
Palestine

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Bethlehem celebrated its third and final Christmas
of the season with Palestinian Armenians on Monday, alongside President
Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The smallest minority in Palestine, there are less than 400 Armenians
in the West Bank, with most residing in Jerusalem and three families
in Bethlehem.

"We consider this Christmas as the Palestinians’ Christmas," Abbas
told Armenian Patriarch Torkom Manoogian in the small Nativity Church
chapel used by Armenians, "Because we know the Armenians are stranded
all over the world…it is as if they are ‘Palestinianized’ and we
feel connected to your plight," he said.

Abbas joined Bethlehemite Armenians for Christmas lunch in the city.

The Armenian church celebrates Christmas on the same day as the Feast
of the Epiphany according to the eastern calendar.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.asp

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Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2010/01/19/bethlehem-celebrates-armenian-christmas/

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS