Middle East - Anthony Ham [274]
June & July
Jerusalem Jazz Festival (www.jjf.org.il; Jerusalem) Jazz performances by Israeli and international performers across the city in June.
Jerusalem Film Festival(www.jff.org.il; Jerusalem) Prestigious international festival; held in July.
Karmi’el Dance Festival (dancefest.karmiel.israel.net; Karmi’el) Huge dance festival in July attracting more than 100 troupes from across the world.
White Night(Tel Aviv) All-night program of art, music, theatre and dance, with an outdoor fair held on Rothschild Blvd; July.
August & September
Klezmer Dance Festival (Tsfat) Held in August. Spirited festival of klezmer music, drawing happy international crowds.
Red Sea Jazz Festival (www.redseajazzeilat.com; Eilat) Four-day festival held during August with performers from across the world.
Nights of Love (Arad)Israeli pop festival in August.
Beresheet Festival (www.beresheet.co.il; Sea of Galilee) A Bohemian gathering, usually held in the Megiddo Forest, with lots of live music.
Ocktoberfest (www.taybehbeer.com; Taybeh) Beer festival at the Middle East’s only microbrewery, in the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh.
October
Fringe Theatre Festival (Akko) A lively program of street and theatre performances in Akko’s picturesque Old City.
Haifa International Film Festival (www.haifaff.co.il; Haifa) Local and international films screen at this well-respected festival.
Love Parade (www.loveparade.co.il in Hebrew; Tel Aviv) Beachside festival and parade.
November & December
Olive Harvest Festival (Bethlehem) Olive farmers gather in Manger Sq during November for dancing, singing and displays of olive products.
Christmukkah (Haifa) A mixed citywide celebration, for Hannukah, Christmas and Ramadan.
Liturgical Festival of Choral Music (www.jso.co.il; Jerusalem) Sponsored by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra; held in December.
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GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
Tel Aviv is the gay capital of Israel, if not the Middle East, and nearly all bars and nightspots that don’t specifically cater to gays are gay-friendly. Other cities – even Jerusalem – have smaller, but active gay scenes; see individual destination listings.
Gay culture is nonexistent in the Palestinian Territories and many gay Palestinians have historically taken refuge in Israel. To better understand the difficult plight of gay and lesbian Palestinians, click on www.globalgayz.com/g-palestine.html or www.aswatgroup.org.
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HOLIDAYS
Dates of Jewish holidays may vary from year to year, as they’re based on the Jewish lunar calendar. The Orthodox Union website at ou.org/chagim has links to a calendar of Jewish holidays. For a list of Islamic holidays, Click here.
January & February
Eastern Orthodox Christmas 5 and 6 January
Armenian Christmas 19 January
Tu Bishvat (Arbour Day) The new year for trees; held in January. On this day different types of fruit and nuts are eaten and trees planted.
Black Hebrew Day of Appreciation & Love February festivities include art, music, food and dancing.
March & April
Purim The Feast of Lots commemorates the Persian Queen Esther’s deliverance of her Jewish subjects from the despicable secular politician, Haman. Kids and adults alike dress up in costume and enjoy an evening of revelry. This is the time for the typically nondrinking Israelis to atone; according to tradition they get so plastered that they can’t distinguish between ‘bless Mordechai’ and ‘curse Haman’.
Good Friday Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus.
International Women’s Day Palestinians celebrate this day on 8 March.
Easter Sunday Celebrated first by the Roman Catholics and Protestants and about two weeks later by the Armenian and Eastern Orthodox churches, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after the crucifixion. When times are calm, Catholic pilgrims throng the Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City, while many Protestants gather at the Garden Tomb