Four weeks before Christmas, period of time to prepare the Celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. The color purple symbolizes penitence and a readiness to learn. Christian New Year's Day on the first Sunday of Advent.

May 13th - Visit to Bethlehem and meeting with Palestinian Authority Leader Mohammed Abbas. A mass at Mangar Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, will be held. •

Held every year in December, the annual Christmas bazaar features booths organized by the expatriate community from all corners of the earth. Every year, Manger square in Bethlehem is filled with locals and tourists alike coming to enjoy the spirit of celebrating Christians.

The Holy Land will be the "theater" of an important sports event, somewhat like Greece at
the time of the Olympic Games - a "sacred" period that called for the suspension of wars and
consequently a time of harmony. In the Holy Land it is likewise hoped that sports, which by their
very nature are a vehicle of peace and use a universal language, represent an opportunity for
people who normally live with different rhythms and customs to meet and embrace.

On Sunday April 25 there will be a 10 km peace marathon beginning in Bethlehem and ending in Jerusalem.