BEIRUT: Even under the weight of political and economic turmoil, the Christmas season continues to bring moments of light, joy, and resilience to Lebanon.
Amid rising tensions with Israel and ongoing instability, this year’s holiday season offers many Lebanese a rare reprieve, cutting through daily hardships with scenes of celebration, renewal and hope.
In Beirut, the festive spirit stretches across neighborhoods regardless of religious confession, with both Christian and Muslim-majority areas lit up and imbued with cheer.
In the city’s Achrafieh and downtown, trees dusted with artificial snow and adorned with ornaments, bells, stars, and ribbons, stand proudly in storefronts, on balconies, and outside restaurants and hotels.
From the capital’s high-end boutiques to its corner cafes, the sound of Christmas music fills the air, offering a glimmer of hope and rekindling a long-lost sense of warmth and unity.
The holiday celebrations extended to the Presidential Palace, which has joined the mood with lights and decorations lining its corridors.
In preparation for the holiday season, the management of Beirut Souks announced it had cleared key passageways in the downtown area, removing barriers that had obstructed vehicle and pedestrian movement.
The move came under the directives of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“The plan is to turn downtown into an open space with interconnected streets, allowing for smooth movement at the heart of the capital and toward neighboring areas,” the management said in a statement.
“The goal is to ease mobility for citizens, especially during the holiday season.”
Downtown Beirut has endured years of upheaval since 2019, when street protests were sparked by the collapse of the Lebanese pound.
During the unrest, demonstrators smashed the facades of shops, restaurants, and hotels, contributing to the area’s prolonged decline.
The following year, the devastating Beirut port explosion inflicted further damage, leaving much of the area in ruins. Recovery has been slow and uneven.
Despite these hardships, the holiday season has revived the spirit of the city. Religious celebrations, carol singing, and local festivals are once again drawing people from across faiths, reflecting Lebanon’s rich cultural and religious diversity.
Since mid-December, crowds have been gathering every night at churches, theaters, and public squares to share in moments of joy and unity.
Jean Beiruti, secretary-general of the Tourism Syndicates Union, noted a resurgence of activity in the streets and bustling markets, where shoppers are making the most of the holiday sales.
“Some are buying luxury gifts, while others opt for simple ones, both reflecting the spirit of giving despite the tough economic conditions,” he told Arab News.
Across Lebanon, communities have embraced a friendly competition to showcase the most beautiful Christmas tree and festive decorations.
Local authorities in Beirut, Jbeil, Batroun, Zgharta in the north, Faraya in the mountains, Maghdouche in the south, and Zahle in the Bekaa, have spared no effort to transform public spaces with dazzling displays that reflect local pride.
“Jbeil is a city of coexistence and unity — a model of the peace envisioned by the Pope,” Ziad Hawat, a local lawmaker, told Arab News, citing the recent visit to Lebanon by Pope Leo XIV.
“It is a peace built on dialogue, understanding, and love; a peace that brings stability, prosperity, and hope. A peace of the heart — one that paves the way for the birth of a nation worthy of our hopes, aspirations and the potential of our youth.”
Meanwhile, the aroma of traditional sweets drifts from pastry shops, where holiday-themed cakes sit in chilled displays, awaiting final touches.
Restaurant reservations are rising, home banquet preparations are in full swing, and New Year’s Eve booking announcements continue to circulate on social media and television.
Pierre Achkar, president of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners, warned that ongoing Israeli strikes are dampening holiday tourism, even if the attacks remain limited to southern Lebanon. At the same time, he noted that flights into the country are fully booked for the season.
While many Lebanese expatriates are returning to spend the holidays at home, Achkar said this does not necessarily translate into high hotel occupancy, as most stay with family or in their own residences. He also noted that Gulf visitor numbers remain limited.
“Christmas is typically celebrated in homes with family,” he said. “Our hopes are pinned on New Year’s Eve, which usually brings a stronger tourism boost. However, the delayed start of the ski season has further hindered activity in mountain resorts.”
Achkar said the sector is looking forward to February, when Saudi Arabia marks a second official holiday. “We hope that will encourage more Saudi tourists to visit Lebanon,” he said.
Despite ongoing security concerns, Lebanon continues to defy expectations, thanks to both its residents and returning expatriates. The atmosphere of reassurance created by Pope Leo’s visit in late November may have helped project a brighter image of the country.
His repeated messages calling for tolerance, coexistence, and peace may have also encouraged collective holiday festivities.
For observers, however, this year’s celebrations feel unusually extravagant in Lebanon. While the holidays are typically a time for rest and renewal, they now seem to serve as compensation for the psychological, political, and social strain weighing on the country.
Hoda Rizk, a researcher in social sciences and political sociology, said Pope Leo’s visit delivered “a living message of coexistence, religious diversity, and interfaith dialogue,” calling for stronger social cohesion.
His meetings with religious and civil society leaders “offered a beacon of hope and recognition of shared resilience,” she said, reinforcing coexistence and national unity while giving Lebanese Christians renewed confidence in their role within Lebanon’s diverse fabric.
“This helps discourage migration by reaffirming the importance of their presence alongside other sects in preserving the country’s identity and social cohesion,” Rizk said.
While the pope’s visit contributed to the atmosphere of celebration, “decorating public spaces during the holidays is a deeply rooted Lebanese tradition,” she said.
Still, the exuberant displays seen this year in every neighborhood and street “are an attempt to escape the dark shadow of war and a way for communities to resist the sadness and fear that has gripped the country,” she added.
While some regions, particularly those affected by recent bombardments, may experience more subdued festivities than in previous years, Rizk said a “festive touch” remains. “It carries the spirit of the holiday even amid grief and sorrow.”
She believes Beirut’s multi-sectarian celebrations reflect the capital’s enduring drive to bring people together despite Lebanon’s overlapping crises.
“This resilience is rooted in the Lebanese people’s will to live,” Rizk said. “This is what the Lebanese people have demonstrated throughout the long years of war. Solidarity emerges in times of hardship, and joy is reborn with the holiday.”
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar announced heightened security measures for the holiday season, calling for maximum readiness across all security, military, and civil defense bodies, along with tighter coordination and rapid emergency response mechanisms.
The measures include streamlined procedures at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport to ease holiday arrivals, increased security deployment around churches, places of worship, and nightlife venues, as well as stricter enforcement of public order and enhanced traffic controls to facilitate movement across major roads.
Al-Hajjar also confirmed the intensification of intelligence operations to preempt any threats to public safety, with a particular focus on preventing celebratory gunfire. Offenders, he said, would be tracked down and referred to judicial authorities.
