The celebration started with the Palestinian national anthem, followed by a welcoming speech by the mayor of BethlehemMunicipality, Dr. Victor Batarseh who welcomed the attendees, and expressed his gratitude to all attendees and organizers of the celebration. Dr. Batarseh also thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity, and the efforts of Dr. Hamdan Taha, the Deputy Minister and Director of the Antiquities and Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in addition to the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Bethlehem and BethlehemMunicipality team for their tireless efforts in preparing Bethlehem Nomination File.

Ms. Samar Qumsieh representative of the Minister of Culture stressed on the importance of preserving Palestinian cultural heritage and identity, and pointed to the importance of the cultural and its role as a tool for development. Mr. Qumsieh also thanked the institutions working in culture in Bethlehem for their support in organizing this event and welcomed Dr. Taha on behalf of the Minister of culture.

The speeches were followed by folkloric shows presented by Artas Folklore Group, and Sumud Group/Arab Educational Institute, and ArtasBoysElementary School. The event was concluded by a speech by Ms. Maha Al-Saca, representative of the advisory board to the Ministry of Culture in Bethlehem, in which she talked about inscribing Bethlehem an the World Heritage List. 

At the end of the ceremony, Mayor of Bethlehem Dr. Victor Batarseh, Consultant of the Minister of Culture Mr. Raji Zboun, Arch. Issam Juha and Arch. Nada Atrash from the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Bethlehem, and Ms. Maha Al Saca From the Palestinian Heritage Centre presented a memorial gift for Dr. Hamdan Taha, who expressed his gratitude to everybody, and called them to preserve Bethlehem.

The Attendees enjoyed traditional drinks and food show, and were invited to the opening of two exhibitions: Zoom in | Zoom Out – Glimpses of Bethlehem Between 1850 and 1950; exhibition of historical photos of Bethlehem organized by the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation from the collection of Mr. George Michel Al-Ama; and an exhibition of traditional photographs organized by The Palestinian Heritage Centre – Ms. Maha Al-Saca. 

It is worth mentioning that the event was organized by Bethlehem Office of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation (CCHP), the Palestinian Heritage Centre, the Arab Educational Institute, Bethlehem Municipality, Bethlehem Peace Centre, Bethlehem Office of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Teqoua’ Women Society. Nestlé– Palestine also contributed to the event.