Christmas celebrated in the shadow of the pandemic

Devout Catholics attend a Christmas Eve mass maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, in front of the Quiapo church in Manila on December 24, 2020 (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP).

The holiday festivities began on Friday, with hundreds of millions around the world under coronavirus restrictions celebrating a scaled-down version of a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings.

The battle to stop the pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.7 million lives, is far from over despite the launch of massive vaccine campaigns that offer the promise of an eventual return to normalcy.

Churches in South Korea were practically empty, with worshipers gathering online as the country reported a new daily case record.

“It really is heartbreaking to see,” said Park Jae-woo, a member of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, who would typically expect up to 10,000 worshipers, but was only able to host 15 staff and choir members on Friday.

And in the Catholic-majority Philippines, services were shaken when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the country, culminating a convulsive yuletide already silenced by bans on parties and carol singing.

“Very sad sad. Seeing everyone with masks, even the priest and altar boys, reminded me that the world as I know it is not the same,” said Kyen Quimpo Mallonga, a Manila resident, after watching the Christmas Eve mass in TV instead of attending your local church for fear of catching the virus.

“It’s Christmas and people are supposed to shake hands, kiss or hug each other,” she said after missing Christmas midnight mass for the first time in her life.

Despite the warm weather, the usual picnic crowds also avoided the sands of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, while the waves were empty of surfing Santas and patrolling police officers enforcing social distancing rules.

Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, celebrated Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica before less than 200 masked worshipers, mostly employees of the small Vatican state.

The mass, traditionally celebrated at midnight, was brought forward to comply with the curfew rules in Italy.

Before the pandemic occurred, several thousand believers and tourists had obtained precious tickets to attend the papal mass.

St Peter’s Square, usually packed with people on Christmas Eve, was deserted Thursday night, illuminated by the glow of its towering Christmas tree and the lights of a police car.

Tough new coronavirus restrictions were imposed on Thursday over the Christmas and New Year period in Italy, the country hardest hit by the virus in Europe, with nearly 71,000 deaths and more than two million cases since the start of the pandemic.

Christmas Eve mass commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem.

In his homily, the Argentine Pope stressed that the birth of a child reminds us that we should not spend our days “lamenting our fate, but calming the tears of those who suffer”, in the service of “the poor.”

Francisco, who has just celebrated his 84th birthday, will give his eighth Christmas message “Urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) on video from the Apostolic Palace on Friday, to prevent a crowd from gathering in the Plaza de Saint Peter.

Thin crowds in Bethlehem

Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was preparing for a Christmas like no other in its recent history.

Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of a Christmas season in which hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.

The service was held online this year, and only clergy and select individuals were allowed into the basilica, which was sterilized prior to the service.

“Everyone feels darkened, tired, exhausted, oppressed for too long under the heavy burden of this pandemic that besets our lives,” said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

In war-torn northeast Syria, hundreds of residents of a predominantly Christian neighborhood in the city of Qamishli shed face masks and donned Santa hats, tossing caution to the wind to celebrate a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Christmas.

“We were concerned that the celebrations would be canceled this year due to the new coronavirus, but as you can see, everyone is here celebrating and we are happy,” said Maria Danhou, a 36-year-old mother of two.

Vacation isolation

Germany has been forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets, while in Kuwait, churches were closed until January 10 despite being home to a large Christian community.

For many, the isolation that has defined last year will continue until Christmas Day and beyond, as in Belgium, where residents are largely limited to welcoming a single visitor.

The British, meanwhile, were isolated from some areas of the world due to the emergence of a new strain of Covid-19.

Some UK border restrictions have been temporarily relaxed for the holidays, but thousands of other European countries are still stranded in England.

“Home for Christmas? Forget it, ”said Laurent Beghin, a French trucker who delivered his load but was still stuck days later.

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