The town of Bethlehem, which is typically lively with Christmas Eve celebrations, appeared deserted today, December 24. Bethlehem lies 10 kilometers south of the city of Jerusalem, in the fertile limestone hill country of the Holy Land. Since at least the 2nd century AD people have believed that the place where the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born.

The usual festive decorations and holiday spirit were absent in Manger Square, with a noticeable absence of foreign tourists who typically gather to commemorate the occasion. Palestinian security forces were seen patrolling the empty square, and some gift shops opened later in the evening after the rain had subsided.

Despite the difficult situation, very few tourists were seen in Bethlehem. This year the birthplace of Jesus is without the Christmas tree and the Christmas lights after cancellation of Christmas festivities.

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year for more than 2.38 billion Christians.

There are so many beautiful Christmas songs, but perhaps Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World translates this spirit to everyone, followed by Christmas greetings in more than 100 languages.

It’s a Wonderful World

I see trees of green – Red roses too – I see them bloom – For me and you – And I think to myself What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue – And clouds of white – The bright blessed day – The dark sacred night – And I think to myself – What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow – So pretty in the sky – Are also on the faces – Of people going by – I see friends shaking hands – Saying, “How do you do?” – They’re really saying – I love you

I hear babies cry – I watch them grow – They’ll learn much more – Than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself – What a wonderful world – Yes, I think to myself – What a wonderful world – Ooh, yes

Christmas Greetings from Africa:

Afrikaans (South Africa, Namibia) Geseënde Kersfees
Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin) Afishapa
Amharic (Ethiopia) Melikam Gena! (መልካም ገና!)
Ashanti/Asante/Asante Twi (Ghana) afehyia pa
Chewa/Chichewa (Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe)
Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha Kristmasi or Christmas yabwino
Dagbani (Ghana) Ni ti Burunya Chou
Edo (Nigeria) Iselogbe
Ewe (Ghana, Togo) Blunya na wo
Efik (Nigeria) Usoro emana Christ
Fula/Fulani (Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone) Jabbama be salla Kirismati
Hausa (Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo) barka dà Kirsìmatì
Ibibio (Nigeria) Idara ukapade isua
Igbo/Igo (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea) E keresimesi Oma
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo) Noheli nziza
Lingala (DR Congo, Rep Congo, Central African Republic, Angola) Mbotama Malamu
Luganda (Uganda) Seku Kulu
Maasai/Maa/Kimaasai (Kenya, Tanzania) Enchipai e KirismasNdebele (Zimbabwe, South Africa) Izilokotho Ezihle Zamaholdeni
Shona (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana) Muve neKisimusi
Soga/Lasoga (Uganda) Mwisuka Sekukulu
Somali (Somalia, Djibouti) Kirismas Wacan
Sotho (Lesotho, South Africa) Le be le keresemese e monate
Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda) Krismasi Njema / Heri ya Krismasi
Tigrinya (Ethiopia and Eritreia) Ruhus Beal Lidet
Xhosa/isiXhosa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho)
Krismesi emnandi
Yoruba (Nigeria, Benin) E ku odun, e ku iye’dun
Zulu (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland) uKhisimusi oMuhle

Christmas Greetings from Around the World

Afganistan (Dari) Christmas Mubarak (کرسمس مبارک)
Albanian Gëzuar Krishtlindjen
Arabic Eid Milad Majid (عيد ميلاد مجيد) Which means ‘Glorious Birth Feast’
Aramaic Eedookh Breekha Which means ‘Blessed be your Christmas’
Armenian Shnorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tznund (Շնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ) Which means ‘Congratulations for the Holy Birth’
Azerbaijani Milad bayramınız mübarək
Belarussian Z Kaljadami (З Калядамі)
Belgium :
Dutch/Flemish       Vrolijk Kerstfeest
French   Joyeux Noël
German       Frohe Weihnachten
Walloon      djoyeus Noyé
Bulgarian Vesela Koleda
Cambodia (Khmer) Rik-reay Bon Noel (រីករាយ បុណ្យណូអែល)
China
Mandarin Sheng Dan Kuai Le (圣诞快乐)
Cantonese Seng Dan Fai Lok (聖誕快樂)
Cornish Nadelik Lowen
Croatian (and Bosnian) Sretan Božić
Czech Veselé Vánoce
Danish Glædelig Jul
Esperanto Feliĉan Kristnaskon
Estonian Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi
Faroe Islands (Faroese) Gleðilig jól
Finnish Hyvää joulua
France
French        Joyeux Noël
Breton         Nedeleg Laouen
Corsican      Bon Natale
Alsatian       E güeti Wïnâchte
German Frohe Weihnachten
Greek Kala Christouyenna or Καλά Χριστούγεννα
Georgian gilocav shoba-akhal c’els or გილოცავ შობა-ახალ წელს
Greenland
Greenlandic Juullimi Pilluarit
Danish (also used in Greenland) Glædelig Jul
Guam (Chamorro) Felis Nabidåt or Felis Påsgua or Magof Nochebuena
Guernsey (Guernésiais/Guernsey French/patois) bouan Noué
Haitian Creole Jwaye Nowel
Hawaiian Mele Kalikimaka
Hungarian Boldog karácsonyt (Happy Christmas) or Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket (pleasant Christmas holidays)
Icelandic Gleðileg jól
India
Bengali (also spoken in Bangladesh)   shubho bôṛodin (শুভ বড়দিন)
Gujarati       Anandi Natal or Khushi Natal (આનંદી નાતાલ)
Hindi Śubh krisamas (शुभ क्रिसमस) or prabhu ka naya din aapko mubarak ho (Happy Birthday God)
Kannada      kris mas habbada shubhaashayagalu (ಕ್ರಿಸ್ ಮಸ್ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು)
Konkani      Khushal Borit Natala
Malayalam Christmas inte mangalaashamsakal
Marathi       Śubh Nātāḷ (शुभ नाताळ) or Natal Chya shubhechha
Mizo Krismas Chibai
Punjabi        karisama te nawāṃ sāla khušayāṃwālā hewe (ਕਰਿਸਮ ਤੇ ਨਵਾੰ ਸਾਲ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ)
Sanskrit       Krismasasya shubhkaamnaa
Shindi         Christmas jun wadhayun
Tamil kiṟistumas vāḻttukkaḷ (கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள்)
Telugu         Christmas Subhakankshalu
Urdu krismas mubarak (کرسمس)
Indonesian Selamat Natal
Iran
Farsi Christmas MobArak
Kurdish (Kumanji) Kirîsmes pîroz be
Irish – Gaelic Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Israel – Hebrew Chag Molad Sameach (חג מולד שמח) meaning ‘Happy festival of the Birth’
Italy
Italian Buon Natale
Sicilian Bon Natali
Piedmontese Bon Natal
Ladin Bon/Bun Nadèl
Jamaican Creole/Patois Merri Crissmuss
Japanese Meri Kurisumasu (or ‘Meri Kuri’ for short!)
Hiragana: めりーくりすます
Katakana: メリークリスマス
Jersey (Jèrriais/Jersey French) bouan Noué
Kazahk Rojdestvo quttı bolsın (Рождество құтты болсын)
Korean ‘Meri krismas’ (메리 크리스마스) or ‘seongtanjeol jal bonaeyo’ (성탄절 잘 보내요) or ‘Jeulgaeun krismas doeseyo’ (즐거운 크리스마스 되세요)
Latin Felicem Diem Nativitatis (Merry Day of the Nativity)
Latvian Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus
Lithuanian Linksmų Kalėdų
Macedonian Streken Bozhik or Среќен Божик
Madagascar (Malagasy) Tratra ny Noely
Maltese Il-Milied it-Tajjeb
Malaysia (Malay) Selamat Hari Krismas or Selamat Hari Natal
Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) Nollick Ghennal
Mexico (Spanish is main language)
Nahuatl (spoken by the Aztecs)
Cualli netlācatilizpan
Yucatec Maya Ki’imak “navidad”
Montenegrin Hristos se rodi (Христос се роди) – Christ is born
Vaistinu se rodi (Ваистину се роди) – truly born (reply)
Native American / First Nation Languages
Apache (Western) Gozhqq Keshmish
Cherokee     Danistayohihv &Aliheli’sdi Itse Udetiyvasadisv
Inuit   Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi
Navajo        Nizhonigo Keshmish
Yupik Alussistuakeggtaarmek
Nepali Kreesmasko shubhkaamnaa (क्रस्मसको शुभकामना)
The Netherlands
Dutch Prettige Kerst (Happy Christmas), Zalig Kerstfeest or Zalig Kerstmis (both mean Merry Christmas) or Vrolijk Kerstfeest (Cheerful Christmas)
West-Frisian (or Frysk) Noflike Krystdagen (Comfortable Christmas days)
Bildts Noflike Korsttydsdagen (Comfortable Christmastide days)
New Zealand (Māori) Meri Kirihimete
Norwegian God Jul or Gledelig Jul
Philippines
Tagalog     Maligayang Pasko
Ilocano        Naragsak nga Paskua
Ilonggo        Malipayon nga Pascua
Sugbuhanon or Cebuano Maayong Pasko
Bicolano      Maugmang Pasko
Pangalatok or Pangasinense      Maabig ya pasko or Magayagan inkianac
Waray         Maupay Nga Pasko
Papiamentu – spoken in the Lesser Antilles (Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire) Bon Pascu
Polish Wesołych Świąt
Portuguese Feliz Natal
Romanian Crăciun Fericit
Russian s rah-zh-dee-st-VOHM (C рождеством!) or
s-schah-st-lee-vah-vah rah-zh dee-st-vah (Счастливого рождества!)
Sami (North-Sami) – spoken in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia Buorit Juovllat
Samoan Manuia Le Kerisimasi
Scotland
Scots Blithe Yule
Gaelic Nollaig Chridheil
Serbian Hristos se rodi (Христос се роди) – Christ is born
Vaistinu se rodi (Ваистину се роди) – truly born (reply)
Slovakian Veselé Vianoce
Slovene or Slovenian Vesel Božič
Somali Kirismas Wacan
Spain
Spanish (Españo)  Feliz Navidad or Nochebuena (which means ‘Holy Night’ – Christmas Eve)
Catalan / Asturian / Occitan      Bon Nadal
Aragonese   Feliz Nadal
Galician       Bo Nadal
Basque (Euskara) Eguberri on (which means ‘Happy New Day’)
Sranantongo (spoken in Suriname)      Swit’ Kresneti
Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka) Suba Naththalak Wewa (සුබ නත්තලක් වේවා)
Swedish God Jul
Switzerland
Swiss German       Schöni Wiehnachte
French         Joyeux Noël
Italian Buon Natale
Romansh     Bellas festas da Nadal
Thai Suk sarn warn Christmas
Turkish Mutlu Noeller
Ukranian ‘Веселого Різдва’ Veseloho Rizdva (Merry Christmas) or ‘Христос Рождається’ Khrystos Rozhdayetsia (Christ is Born)
Vietnamese Chúc mừng Giáng Sinh
Welsh Nadolig Llawen