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Celebrations took place all over Syria on Christmas eve, with festive carnivals filling the streets of Damascus, Tartous, Homs, and other Syrian cities.

The celebrations in Syria this year coincide with a harsh economic crisis the country is going through due to the harsh Western sanctions imposed on it and the economic blockade.

Under the slogan of "Syria, may you have a peaceful Christmas," the Olive Scouts marching band of the Melkite Greek Catholics organized yesterday evening a festive carnival for Christmas, roaming the streets of Old Damascus.

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The Syrian people rejoiced over the festive atmosphere, especially the carnival that roamed the streets of Damascus, spreading joy and happiness to adults and children alike, according to their accounts, wishing that peace would prevail in Syria.

The carnival that roamed the streets of Damascus was distinguished by the sheer amount of people participating in them. They toured various neighborhoods all over the Syrian capital, starting from the Patriarchal Cathedral of Our Lady of Annihilation, passing through the squares of Bab Touma and Al-Qasa’a, to the Abbasids Square.

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The coastal city of Tartous was also one of the governorates that celebrated the holiday today, with festivities taking place all over the city of Tartous itself, Mashta Al-Helou, Al-Kafroun, and other areas.

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The Tartous Carnival kicked off at the Greek Orthodox Mar Daniel Church at the site of the old garage and headed toward the Tartous Archdiocese Church, continuing on to the well-known Al-Thawra Street in the heart of the city, reaching the Church of the Dormition of Our Lady at the Marine Corniche.

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Meanwhile, in the northern governorate of Al-Hasakah, which the SDF siege and Turkish bombing did not prevent from celebrating Christmas and praying in churches, the local neighborhoods witnessed celebrations that included fairy lights, Christmas trees, and carnivals.

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Aleppo also celebrated Christmas, lighting up the Christmas tree in Al-Hatab Square in the city of Aleppo, which is one of the key witnesses to the war in Syria, and the destruction that this city was subjected to at the hands of terrorists.

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