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Israel Calendar of Events
For the latest information on holidays, special events, and
festivals in Israel, check with your nearest Israel Tourism Office.
January/February
Israeli Arbor Day (Tu b'Shevat): Thousands of singing and dancing
school-children go off to plant trees all over the country. Synagogues and some
restaurants have special Tu b'Shevat dinners.
Feb 8, 2012
March
Purim (Feast of Lots): Recalling how Queen Esther saved her people in Persia
(5th century B.C.), this is an exciting time when folks, especially children,
dress up in fancy costumes, have parties, parade in the streets, give food
baskets, spray shaving cream at strangers, and generally make merry. In
Jerusalem and Safed, which are considered walled cities, Purim is celebrated 1
day later than in the rest of the country.
March 7-8, 2012
April
Passover (Pesach): No bread, beer, or other foods containing leavening are
obtainable for 7 days (8 days outside Israel), and hotel and restaurant meals
may cost more because of the culinary complexities. Many restaurants simply shut
down for this period. During the days just before the holidays, women furiously
clean their kitchens, and houses in general, to render them spotless and free of
any stray bits of leavening. The first night of the holiday is devoted to a
Seder, a family meal and ritual recalling the exodus of the ancient Israelites
from Egypt. Many hotels and restaurants have special Seders for tourists. The
first and last days of this holiday are Sabbath-like, which means the country
more or less closes down. During the half-holiday days of the Passover week,
many shops, museums, and services are on reduced schedules. As schools are shut,
Israelis travel during this week which makes reservations at hotels, B&Bs, and
kibbutzim impossible to get unless booked well in advance.
April 6-14, 2012
Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Ha-Shoah): This marks the time of the year in 1945
when the last of the concentration camps in Europe were liberated and the
Holocaust came to an end. All places of entertainment are closed. As the day
begins (like all Jewish days, at nightfall), most restaurants are closed,
although public transportation continues and most shops and businesses are open.
At 10am on Yom Ha-Shoah, a siren sounds throughout the nation, and a period of
silence is observed in memory of the six million Jews who were killed during the
holocaust. A special memorial ceremony is held at Yad VaShem in Jerusalem. Some
places for simple meals and snacks are open during the day.
Memorial Day: One week after Holocaust Memorial Day, the nation remembers its
war dead. Restaurants and places of public entertainment are closed, but
transportation operates and most shops are open. Again, at 11am, a siren sounds,
and a period of silence is observed. Throughout the country, memorial services
are held.
Independence Day: The day after Memorial Day, Israel commemorates the day in
1948 when the British Mandate ended and the State of Israel was proclaimed. It
is celebrated with house parties and municipal fireworks at night.
May/June
Lag b'Omer: Ending 33 days of mourning, this is an especially happy celebration
for the Orthodox Jews, who leave Jerusalem and other cities at this time to sing
and dance around bonfires at the Meiron tomb of the mystical Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai in the Galilee. There are also pilgrimages made by Jews to the tombs of
great rabbis. Children around the country sing, dance, and light evening
bonfires.
May 10, 2012
Jacob's Ladder Country, Folk, and Blues Festival (usually at Kibbutz Nof
Ginossar): This important event is held in the Galilee for 3 days in mid-May.
Everything from contemporary and classic folk to Celtic is offered. For
information, call 04-696-2231, or visit www.jlfestival.com.
Shavuot (Pentecost): The early-summer harvest celebration is a joyous time, a
special favorite of agricultural settlements. It is often marked by plays,
entertainment, and children dressed in white, wearing floral crowns. Since it
also recalls the receipt of the Ten Commandments, as well as the bringing of the
"first fruits" to The Temple, it is observed as a religious holiday. Dairy foods
such as blintzes and cheesecakes are traditionally prepared for the holiday, and
at synagogues throughout the country, as well as at the Western Wall, the Torah
is studied throughout the night.
May 26-28, 2012
Abu Gosh Music Festival: A new festival held in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu
Gosh, in the hills west of Jerusalem. Classical and religious music is performed
in the village's two churches; there are street performances and arts and
crafts. It is held every year at Shavuot and Succot.
Israel and Jerusalem Festivals of the Performing Arts: In late spring, two
festivals of extraordinary music groups, theater, and dance companies come from
all over the world to perform.
July/August
Tisha b'Av: The fast day on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av is a time
set aside to remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which by
ominous coincidence were destroyed on the same calendar day in the years 586
B.C. and A.D. 70, respectively. Entertainment facilities are closed. Many
restaurants are closed.
July 28-29, 2012
Israeli Folkdance Festival (Karmiel, in the Galilee): Jewish ethnic dancers come
from around the world for this festival held in early July.
Jerusalem International Film Festival: Increasingly prestigious, with many
offerings from both mainstream and exotic countries. It takes place at the
Jerusalem Cinémathèque in the first 2 weeks in July. For more information, call
02-672-4131, or visit www.jer-cin.org.il.
Jerusalem Arts and Crafts Festival: Held in the Sultan's Pool in the valley
outside the western walls of the Old City, the contemporary Israeli craft booths
are not usually of a high level, but the large International Craft Section is
excellent. Performances by Israeli musicians every night. Late July.
Red Sea Jazz Festival (Eilat): This increasing acclaimed international jazz
festival is held in Eilat for 4 days in either July or August. Go to
www.redseajazzeilat.com for program information, tickets, and hotel and travel
packages for the festival.
September/October
The Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival: Held at the YMCA Concert
Hall and produced by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of
pianist Elena Bashkirova, this festival offers an array of internationally
famous musicians performing classical chamber music. For information, check out
www.jcmf.org.il.
Ramadan: During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink during
daylight hours, but at night many parties are held. Most places serving food in
Arab communities will be closed during the day; Islamic sites and mosques are
closed to non-Muslims during the entire month. The Islamic holy month begins
approximately 10 days earlier each year, and the exact first and last days
depend on astronomical sightings in Saudi Arabia, therefore the following dates
are approximate to within a day: August 22 to September 21, 2009; August 11 to
September 10, 2010. Eid Al Fitr, the biggest holiday in the Islamic year, is
celebrated the day Ramadan ends, and 2 or 3 days immediately following. On Eid
Al Fitr, many shops are closed.
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year): The start of the High Holy Days. Because the
Jewish calendar starts in September or October, that's when New Year falls. It
is a 2-day religious festival, not an occasion for revels but rather for solemn
contemplation and prayer. Almost everything in the Jewish sector of the country
is closed.
September 16-18, 2012
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement): On the 10th day of the Jewish year, the High Holy
Days culminate in the most solemn of Jewish holidays. Observant Jews spend
nearly the whole day in synagogue. Places of worship are crowded, but the large
synagogues reserve seats for tourists, and some of the larger hotels organize
their own services. Yom Kippur is a fast day, but hotel dining rooms serve
guests who wish to eat. Everything comes to a standstill; even television and
radio stations suspend broadcasting.
September 25-26, 2012
Succot (Feast of Tabernacles): This 7-day holiday recalls how Moses and the
children of Israel dwelled in "booths" (or "succot") as they left Egypt to
wander in the desert. Observant families have meals and services in specially
built, highly decorated yet simple huts, located outside in gardens or on
balconies. Succot is also a harvest festival and thus an agricultural and
kibbutz favorite. On the first and last days of Succot, Sabbath-like
restrictions are observed.
September 30 to October 7, 2012
Simchat Torah: As Succot ends, Jews rejoice as they complete the yearly cycle of
reading the Torah (the first five books of the Bible); street festivities in
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv mark this day. Cantors read the final verses of the Torah
in synagogues around the country and then immediately start again at its
beginning.
October 8-9, 2012
November
Olive Festival: In recent years, both Jewish and Arab communities in the Galilee
have come to mark the November olive harvest period with at least a dozen local
festivals of traditional foods, music, crafts, and dance. It's partly a genuine
grass-roots reawakening of ancient traditions, and partly aimed at both Israeli
and foreign tourists. Check with the Nazareth and Akko tourist information
offices for the best listings.
Jacob's Ladder Winter Folk Festival (Kibbutz Nof Ginossar): A new indoor winter
version of the 30-year-old (summer) Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival . It's held on
the shores of the Sea of Galilee. For information, call 04-696-2231 or visit
www.jlfestival.com.
December
Chanukah: Celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over Syrian Greeks and the
consequent rededication of The Temple in 164 B.C. For 8 days, this history-based
holiday is marked by the nightly lighting of the Chanukah, or eight-branch
menorah (as opposed to the traditional seven-branch menorah, which was lit in
The Temple and is a more ancient symbol of the Jewish people).
December 8-16, 2012
Eid Al Adha: The second-biggest Islamic holiday commemorates Abraham's
near-sacrifice of his son. Animals are sacrificed, big family feasts are held,
children receive gifts and new clothes, many shops in Arab neighborhoods are
closed, and mosques are closed to tourists. The holiday changes according to the
lunar calendar.
International Choir Concerts: These take place in Bethlehem on December 24. The
Christian Information Centre (www.christusrex.org), inside Jaffa Gate, has
information about these programs and about security conditions in Bethlehem.
Liturgica (Jerusalem): A week of choral music organized by the Jerusalem
Symphony Orchestra in late December. For program information, go to
www.jso.co.il/index-english.php.
* The information is provided by the good people at Frommers
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