Pilgrims Flock to Bethlehem for Christmas
各地信徒云集伯利恒庆祝圣诞节

　 
The faithful have flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas.

世界各地的信徒聚集到约旦河西岸的伯利恒庆祝圣诞节。

A fragrant cloud of incense filled the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, as Palestinian Christians celebrated Christmas Mass. A few meters away, thousands of pilgrims from around the world visited the ancient grotto believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

巴勒斯坦的基督教信徒在伯利恒的基督诞生教堂举行圣诞弥撒，教堂中充满了香火的气味。在离教堂几米远的地方，来自世界各地的成千上万名朝圣者参观了据信是耶稣诞生的地方。

Adam Heyney came from the western U.S. state of Utah.

亚当.海尼来自美国西部的犹他州。

"It's amazing, it's always been a dream to come out here, you see all the stuff on TV, you read it in books, but it becomes reality. Just to be there in that spot was just an incredible experience," Heyney said.

他说：“这里真是太棒了。来到这里一直是一个梦想，你从前都是在电视上看到这些景象，在书里读到它们，但现在这都成了真的。能来到这里就是非常棒的经历。”

For Barbara Beachie of the Midwest state of Michigan, it was an experience of faith and community.

对来自美国中西部密西根州的巴巴拉.比奇来说，到伯利恒朝圣是一次信仰和归属感之旅。

"We need to touch something. We need to touch the sacred, we need to touch the place where Jesus was born, we need to see it," Beachie said. "There's a sense of mystery that is very overwhelming. And it's not just the place, but it's also the people that come from so far away."

她说：“我们需要触摸到什么，触摸神圣的东西，触摸耶稣诞生的地方，我们需要看到这个地方。它具有强烈的神秘感。而且，除了这个圣地之外，那些来自遥远地方的朝圣者也很吸引人。”

Palestinian police armed with assault rifles patrolled Manger Square, but that did not bother Monty Luker of South Carolina.

手持冲锋枪的巴勒斯坦警察在马槽广场巡逻，但是，来自美国南卡罗莱纳州的陆克尔对此并不介意。

"Even though it's a bit scary, the guns in the hands of the security people is a good thing. Were it not for that, we'd have to worry about the bad guys," Luker said.

他说：“虽然这有点吓人，但是安全人员手里有枪毕竟是好事，否则我们就会担心受到坏人的袭击。”

It was the biggest turnout in years thanks to a lull in West Bank violence. Bethlehem hotels were full, and Palestinian shopkeepers like Nabil Jakaman were upbeat.

由于约旦河西岸暂时停止了暴力袭击，游客数量创下了多年来的最高纪录。伯利恒的酒店住满了人，像雅卡曼这样的巴勒斯坦店主十分高兴。

"You can see tourists, many, many, many tourists, you can see it. That's good. It's nice to see this kind of tourists In Bethlehem," Jakaman said.

他说：“你可以看到这里有非常非常多的游客。这太好了，能在伯利恒看到这么多游客真是不错。”

Palestinians bitterly complain about Israel's security barrier, or wall, surrounding Bethlehem, which was built in response to a wave of suicide bombings a few years ago. But Jakaman sees some light at the end of the tunnel.

巴勒斯坦人愤怒地抱怨以色列在伯利恒周围建立的安全屏障，这个围墙是几年前为了应对自杀性爆炸袭击的猛增而修建的。不过，雅卡曼看到了一些希望。

"Well, the wall has made some problems but thank God, now there is a lot of tourists, now it's moving better," Jakaman said.

他说：“的确，这个围墙带来了一些麻烦，不过，感谢上帝，现在这里来了许多游客，情况变好了。”

So for pilgrims and Palestinians, it was a Merry Christmas in the little town where it all began.

因此，对于朝圣者和巴勒斯坦人来说，今年，在这个耶稣诞生的小镇，他们可以渡过一个快乐的圣诞节。