People enjoy festive atmosphere of Christmas in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
BEIRUT, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese were getting the buzz out of a multi-week street festival in downtown Beirut celebrating Christmas, with kiosks selling specialties twinkling in decorative lights while artists putting on a host of performances for adults and kids.
For Dina Hajjar, a thirtyish lady from Mount Lebanon, the event at the downtown commercial complex of Beirut Souks offered a precious getaway for many locals in face of daily struggles arising from the country's economic shocks.
The festival started on Dec. 2 and runs until Boxing Day on Dec. 26 this year. At its peak, restaurants are packed with parents taking a tea break, watching their children running and playing around joyously, some others waiting for their turn around kids-favorite sellers such as those offering coloring activities and cartoon-character balloons.
People enjoy festive atmosphere of Christmas in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
But in the past few years, such a scene was a luxury after multifaceted crises hit the once-prosperous capital city hard, especially an unprecedented financial meltdown since 2019 and the COVID-19 outbreak a year later and its impact on the economy.
In August 2020, the Beirut port blasts killed over 200 people and destroyed a big part of the city, including hundreds of shops and restaurants as well as a massive cinema complex located in the Beirut Souks.
Only a few shops managed to re-open sometime later. Beirutetna, a local cultural and commercial event organizer, aspired to bring this part of the city to a new life, and foster a positive outlook for people devastated by one of the biggest explosions in history.
In the winter of 2020, Beirutetna kicked off its first Christmas festival with only 40 contracted business owners, said Alain Toubiya, organizer of the event, adding this year, it was 100, making him dare to dream of adding more shows, or even a carnival, for the years to come.
People buy Christmas food and sweets in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
"We received around 350,000 visitors during the 2020 festival, and we estimate the number to reach 800,000 this year," as tourists and expatriates are expected to visit in the coming weeks, he explained.
"When we first participated here, we thought people would visit mostly during weekends, but we see great numbers daily," Hussein Faroukh, who looks after the book kiosk of his friend, told Xinhua, adding this Christmas season, his store receives around 300 customers daily.
"It's great to see that life is coming back to the Beirut Souks. It deserves to be alive again," said Amal Rifai, whose accessories shop participated in the event.
People buy Christmas food and sweets in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Faroukh attributes the great buzz to the Lebanese people's positive attitude and love for life.
"We the Lebanese are eager to grab every opportunity to forget our problems and enjoy life again," he said. ■
