IN STEREO

Star Street is the old city of Bethlehem. It’s a really crowded place. The area is really small, because years ago they used to build beside one another, because there isn’t much space. And you find beautiful lighting – it’s decorated for Christmas; it’s decorated for Easter. Each festival has its own lighting, its own music. We just walk straight down the road until we reach the Nativity Church. We actually walk slowly, because we wait for the bishop, the first one walking – and he walks slowly, so everybody walks slowly. We walk behind because it’s kind of a [tradition]. If they don’t do it, if we don’t have scouts, then there’s something wrong. Actually, everybody goes to watch because there are scouts – they don’t go because they want to see the priest. It kind of brings life to this festival. Because people wait for this kind of stuff. Throughout the year they’re thinking how they’re under pressure, under work, under occupation and all those things. When Christmas comes, or when Easter comes, they just want to be happy. And scouts bring happiness to people. This kind of music, they don’t hear it unless there is a festival and there are scouts. It’s nice being one of the scouts, and it’s nice to be the one watching them. Because when you’re with them, you don’t really have the experience of enjoying the music. You have to be concentrating, and coordinate everything. But when you’re outside, you see everything perfectly. You hear the music you want to hear; you stand with the people shouting and screaming and clapping. They’re normally Christmas songs. It doesn’t matter if they’re in English or Arabic. The songs they normally play are songs that are known by the people, and even by foreigners. They play music that’s known. – Jina