Municipalities - How Bethlehem celebrates Christmas: In Baden-Württemberg
There are no more oxen and donkeys in Bethlehem, but according to local resident Roland Lachmann, deer are now venturing onto the terrace at home. Lachmann and his family live in one of two houses in Bethlehem - a hamlet in the town of Pfullendorf (Sigmaringen district). The free-church pastor and his family moved there around ten years ago. "It's a great idyll here, for which we are grateful," he says. He spends Christmas with his wife and eight children. "We celebrate it as a family festival and are convinced that Jesus will return soon."
Bethlehem in the southern West Bank - according to tradition the birthplace of Jesus Christ - is one of the holiest places for Christians. Masses of tourists usually make their way through the old town and to the world-famous Church of the Nativity during the Christmas season. But this year, the Gaza war is overshadowing Christmas in the Holy Land.
"Bethlehem belongs to Pfullendorf," says the head of the town's main office. In fact, it belongs to the district of Gaisweiler. This is not clear, as the two houses are located exactly on the boundary with the municipality of Wald (Sigmaringen district). The word hamlet is almost too big for Bethlehem. "In principle, they are two farmsteads," he says. Eight people are registered there. "The location on the edge of the forest is quite idyllic," says the administrative employee.
He can't say how the two houses came to be called Bethlehem. Their history probably goes back quite a while. Lachmann's neighbor Martha Stehle is at least the fourth generation to live there, says her husband Dieter Stehle, who moved in more than 30 years ago. "We have documents relating to a building application from 1895," he explains. Martha Stehle is an Urbethlehem native, she was even born in the hamlet.
The Stehle family no longer have an ox and donkey. Only a cat. Nevertheless, the Christmas story is part of every year, says Dieter Stehle. He celebrates with his wife and daughter. "We have a nice meal in the evening, then we give presents and read the Christmas story."
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- Despite the ongoing Gaza war, Bethlehem in the West Bank, known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, continues to celebrate Christmas, albeit with fewer tourist visits to the Church of the Nativity.
- Lachmann and his family, who live in a commune of two houses in Bethlehem, part of the town of Pfullendorf (Baden-Württemberg district), celebrate Christmas as a family festival, believing in the imminent return of Jesus.
- The nearest municipality to Bethlehem is Wald, belonging to the Sigmaringen district, but the exact location of two houses in Bethlehem is unclear as it falls on the boundary with Wald.
- Martha Stehle, a resident of Bethlehem for four generations, celebrates Christmas with her husband and daughter, even though they no longer have an ox and donkey, only a cat.
- In Baden-Württemberg, Sigmaringen district, the commune of Pfullendorf offers an idyllic lifestyle, as evidenced by its residents such as Lachmann and his family, who moved there 10 years ago and cherish their peaceful life.
Source: www.stern.de
