Whenever I see girls and boys -- and kids who identify as LGBTQIA+ -- selling lanterns on the streets of Nazareth. Is that how the lyrics go? Our eardrums are bombarded with this song as soon as the clock strikes midnight on September 1st. And yet I forget the lyrics. You just never know anymore nowadays. Anyway, Bethlehem and Nazareth, two real world places that populate every other Christmas carol you’ve ever heard of. Or perhaps you remember these best from your religion classes if you went to a Catholic high school. Well yes, they are real places and you can visit them. For now, let’s focus on Nazareth.
My travel mantra has changed over the years. From the hectic days of I-Have-To-See-Everything, I have now revised it to I-Have-To-See-Something. It takes me out of that stressful situation of wanting to see all that a certain place has to offer, also considering how impossible that is. For Nazareth, that “something” or “somewhere” was the Church of the Annunciation. That has been the most obvious choice from the get-go given how it appears to be the most popular tourist and religious attraction there anyway.
First stop, how to get to Nazareth? Nazareth is one of Israel’s biggest cities and considered the largest in the country’s Northern region. From Ben Gurion airport, hop on the train headed to Herzliya and get off at Tel Aviv HaShalom. That will cost you NIS9 (~PhP150) on your RAV-KAV. Go inside Azrieli Mall and get out on the other side where the bus stops are. Look for the bus stop for Bus 826. That will take you all the way to Hapikud Junction in Nazareth in 2 hours and will cost your RAV-KAV NIS16 (~PhP270).
I don’t know if that bus goes all the way to a bus stop closer to the church. My mistake is I got overwhelmed by sleepiness that I just ended up keying in NAZARETH on Google Maps. In any case, it’s just a short 20-minute stroll from Hapikud to the church, and you even get to have a good feel of the town as you take a stroll. 2/3 of the population of Nazareth are Muslims while the other 1/3 are Christians. They all seem to live together in peace. And now, the Annunciation. What is the Annunciation?
The Annunciation is that event in the bible where biblical Marites archangel Gabriel told Mary that she would be conceiving God’s son, a kid named Jesus. The ground where the basilica now stands is said to be the place where all of that happened. According to Catholics. You’ll find out that there are several other churches dedicated to the Annunciation in Nazareth from other Christian denominations. The Greek Orthodox has their own. The Coptics have their own. If you thought organized religions are complicated, well, you probably haven’t heard about the bickering denominations in each of them just yet.
Suffice it to say that it is the Catholics’ basilica that is considered as the most popular in Nazareth and is frequented by locals and tourists alike. The locals go there to attend mass. In fact, there was one in Arabic when I visited, which was strangely fascinating to me. Tourists, on the other hand, consist of travelers who are there for tourism as well as pilgrims who visit for the sake of their faith. That’s why the basilica can be crowded at times. Rest assured, it’s big enough for everybody!
One of the features of the basilica are the art works dedicated to the Virgin Mary donated by countries all around the world. The Philippines’ contribution is right at the gate across Ukraine’s. The rest line up the courtyard gallery and are such a marvel to look at. It’s like the Multiverse of the Virgin Mary thanks to the diversity in cultural nuances that each frame provides. There is also a life size statue of JC’s mom right at the bottom of the steps leading up to the main church where masses are held.
Before you head up there, though, do not forget to check out the grotto at the lower church, which is believed to be the remains of Mary’s childhood abode. Once you are done checking out the basilica, you might also want to visit St. Joseph’s Church next door which is also inside the same complex. It has a crypt downstairs, but I just can’t find any significant description as to what it was supposed to be during biblical times.
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