Harmony descends on tent city in Beirut

BEIRUT, (Reuters) - Three weeks ago central Beirut's most dominant fixture was the blue-domed Mohammed al-Amin mosque. Now, a 15-metre cheerfully adorned Christmas tree has sprung up among the thousands of tents just a few steps away.

Thousands of protesters answered the call of the Lebanese opposition, led by Hezbollah, and have camped in the heart of Beirut, to try to topple the government on Prime Minister Fouad Siniora which is backed by the United States.

Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of Christian leader Michel Aoun make strange bed fellows to some, but in downtown Beirut supporters of both groups appear to live in harmony. Miniature Christmas trees propped outside tents of Christian protesters alongside images of militant Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah make for a surreal image at the already unusual tent camp which has overtaken the trendy city centre.

Christian protesters said they were adamant on celebrating the holiday as they do every year even if it was in the middle of their open-ended protest.

"We have the Christmas tree so people won't feel like they're not celebrating as they would at home," said Emile Hashem, 43, a festivities organiser. "It's the same but this time around tents."

The large Christmas tree, decorated with golden stars and baubles, lies in the middle of the Christian part of the camp and is encircled with flower pots and spotlights.

"I think the (decoration) they've done is very pretty. Even some Muslims put Christmas trees in their homes," said Amna Yaseen, 45, who works in public relations for Hezbollah.

"Us and them are one," said Bassam Nassar, 18, a Hezbollah supporter.

Some protesters have erected their own smaller Christmas trees outside their tents, mostly decorated with orange baubles, depicting the FPM's colour. Some trees lining the pavements around the camps are also linked with fairy lights.

"We're going to celebrate to show everyone that we can live our normal life out here. We'll have a traditional dinner and celebrate the way we would at home," said Hoda Franjieh, 50. The opposition is demanding a veto power in cabinet and has also called for early parliamentary elections but Siniora and his anti-Syrian allies are refusing to give in.

The tents are spread out on two main squares in central Beirut -- one mainly housing Hezbollah and the other housing the FPM. To show unity between the two camps, Hashem said a string of tables with at least 250 cakes on it will link the camps from beginning to end.

A midnight mass is also scheduled on Christmas Eve although it is still unclear whether it will be held in the downtown St Georges Maronite church or at the camp. Hashem also said there would be a children's play on Saturday and gifts for around 5,000 children would be handed out.

"Of course every head of family wishes he could celebrate Christmas at home with his family. But this year, we'll celebrate here in order to achieve our target," said Shahwan Habeeb, 53, a businessman.