Palestinians take part in a Christmas tree–lighting event in Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Jesus Christ ahead of Christmas in the West ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. On most mornings for the past five years, Ronny Tabash has opened the doors of his family’s souvenir shop in ...

Christmas should be the busiest time of the year for the shopkeepers of Manger Square, but the birthplace of Jesus is now a ghost town Christmas has been the beating heart of the Giacaman family’s ...

Palestinian Christians are reviving their seasonal public celebrations, hoping to bring light and holiday spirit at the end of a gloomy year in the West Bank. By Fatima AbdulKarim Reporting from ...

Edward Lear, “Bethlehem” (1861). Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Public domain. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” has shaped how millions of English speakers imagine the Palestinian town where Jesus was ...

Scientists and historians are raising fresh questions over the long-held belief that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Recent archaeological findings and scholarly debates suggest that the ...

Palestinian vendors wait for clients in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Credit: Mahmoud Illean/AP.) Listen BETHLEHEM, West Bank — At midnight on Christmas ...

The nation’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it’s not hard to see why it gained the designation: it’s home to an incredible Colonial history and a living heritage ...

Bethlehem has been the subject of countless carols and Nativity plays, but the real story of the little town is far more complex. Bethlehem had a long history even before it became known as the site ...

The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born. When you ...

“After their audience with the king, [the wise men] set out,” reads chapter two of the Book of Matthew. “And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped ...

A brilliant point of light is rising in the eastern sky soon after dark this month, drawing comparisons to the "Star of Bethlehem." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...