Each year, thousands of Christians make the pilgrimage to Bethlehem for what is perhaps the most moving Christmas celebration of them all. This is true even though Muslims and Jews make up most of the population of the Middle East.
Christians come to visit the place where, according to the gospels, it all began. Not surprisingly, this is the time of the year when Bethlehem is most popular. The festivities in the "little town" center on the Church of the Nativity and the Shepards' Fields. The Church of the Nativity is believed to stand on the place where Christ was born; under the church, within a small cave, a star on the floor marks the place where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Shepards' Fields is said to represent the fields where the angels announced the arrival of Christ.
Among the indigenous Christians in Bethlehem, there are three groups. The Roman Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25, The Greek Orthodox on January 6, and the Armenian Christians on January 18. Representatives protecting the interests of these three groups sit on a board that "governs" the Church of the Nativity, so that no group is favored or slighted. Services are not held within the church itself but rather in an adjoining building. Services on Christmas Eve are by invitation only, but they are televised to the crowd outside. Afterward, most venture to the Shepards' Fields, which are also divided into three sections.
With the obvious exception of Israel, the peoples of the Middle East are predominantly Muslim. Some of these Muslim countries do have Christian sections, and in those sections Christmas is observed, although the observance is usually more strictly religious, as in Africa. Some countries, however, have indigenous Christian populations that have been celebrating Christmas for centuries.
About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.
Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”
Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.
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