国际英语资讯:Feature: Christmas decorations beam life into Aleppos ruins_时事

国际英语资讯:Feature: Christmas decorations beam life into Aleppos ruins

ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 23 -- At a corner in front of Aleppo's ancient citadel, a light is shining through the devastation in that old part of the city, like a magnet pulling people close to its warmth.

It's a Christmas tree with delightful decoration and colors that take the eye away from the scars of war around it to the warmth of hope and peace.

Aleppo city in northern Syria has seen a devastating war throughout years with much of its historic sites in the old city in ruins.

国际英语资讯:Feature: Christmas decorations beam life into Aleppos ruins1

Two years since its liberation, the people have started gaining confidence and working to restore their lives and the lost glamor of the holiday season.

During the war, Christmas trees were shy, hiding inside the homes, not daring to send their warm lights outward out of respect and sadness for the suffering and grief of the people whose biggest dream was to stay safe with their families.

The sounds of shelling were deafening and scary enough that Christmas carols were completely out of place and unheard.

Now, the lights are bolder, more colorful and strong enough to penetrate the grayness of the war's devastation in Aleppo.

Saer Kheirallah, a restaurant owner in Aleppo, was among the first to return to his restaurant near the historical citadel of Aleppo when it was liberated from the rebels by the Syrian Army in 2016.

His restaurant had always held Christmas parties before the war, but when the rebels took control of eastern Aleppo, all the joyful atmosphere turned grayed and muted.