Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
T HE HOLY L A N D
T HROUGH T H E YEA R
S hared as it is by Jews,
as Passover (and Ramadan in Israel's
Arab areas and in Jordan) many
shops, restaurants and museums
close for the duration or open
only for limited hours, and
lodging is hard to find and
inflated in price. The dates of
religious and other holidays
vary each year so visitors should
check these when planning
holidays. The Holy Land has
year-round warm weather, but the heat
in July and August can be extreme.
Christians and Muslims,
Jerusalem has an over-
abundance of religious holidays.
Add to these secular holidays,
commemorations and cultural
festivals, and rarely a week passes in
which some significant event is not
taking place. While visitors may
want to time their visit to
coincide with some of these
events, they may equally want to avoid
others. During religious holidays such
Kaparot ritual, eve of
Yom Kippur
Easter falls from late
March to April for
Catholics and Protes-
tants; the Orthodox
and Armenian
churches celebrate a
week later. Jerusalem's
Easter week begins
with a Palm Sunday
procession from the
Mount of Olives to
St Anne's (see p67) .
The most striking
ceremony is the Holy
Fire (see p93) , held
on the Saturday of
the Orthodox Easter.
SPRING
Spring in Jerusalem usually
arrives in the latter part of
March. This coincides with
the Christian Easter and
Jewish Passover celebrations,
when the city is filled to
bursting with pilgrims. The
religious festivities are accom-
panied by cultural events,
which increase in frequency
as summer approaches. The
weather is mild, and this is
the best time for trips to
Israel's many parks, even
though around the Dead Sea
the thermometer is already
regularly above 30° C (86° F).
Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem
moving along the Via Dolorosa
APRIL
Boombamela Festival (1st
week) , Ashkelon, Israel. An
alternative arts festival held
on the beach.
Armenian Holocaust Day (24
Apr) , Jerusalem. Marked with
a procession, then a service
at St James's Cathedral in
memory of the Turkish
massacres (see pp106-7) .
Mimouna is celebrated the
day after Passover ends by
North African Jews, with
festivities throughout Israel.
Music Festival (Passover),
Jaffa (see pp174 -5) . This
classical music festival takes
place from May to July.
Holocaust Day . Periodically
throughout the day sirens
signal for two minutes'
silence in remembrance of
the victims of the Holocaust.
Remembrance Day . In the
same fashion as Holocaust
Day, this day honours the
Israeli dead from past wars.
Passover , or Pesach, falls
from late March to the second
half of April. It celebrates
liberation from slavery under
the pharaohs in Egypt. During
the week-long festival, shops
and restaurants are closed,
and public transport limited.
MARCH
International Book Fair ,
Jerusalem. This annual event
attracts visitors from more
than 40 countries. The
Jerusalem Prize is awarded.
Spring in Israel, the perfect time for exploring the countryside
 
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