Every culture celebrates the holiday season differently, but the one thing that unites us all are the beautiful lights that make every street twinkle in the cold night sky. And where better to celebrate Chrismukkah than in the land where these age-old stories took place?
Holiday of Holidays, Haifa
Chag HaChagim in Hebrew (or Holiday of Holidays for us English speaking folk) is an annual street celebration that showcases the religious and cultural diversity of Haifa, the largest city in northern Israel and third-largest in the country. Haifa’s population consists of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Bahais. In fact Haifa is home to the second-largest Arab-Christian community in Israel.
The Holiday of Holidays festival was started by the Beit HaGefen Arab-Jewish center to promote coexistence. Now every December in the Wadi Nisnas and German Colony neighborhoods, the people of the city, along with hundreds of tourists, come together to enjoy the holiday festivities.
What You Can Expect To See
You’ll find beautiful lights illuminating the streets, including a big Christmas tree, a menorah for the Jewish holiday of Hannukah, and a fanoos for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan at the entrance to the street festival.
You better come hungry, as this street boasts many delicious restaurants (my personal favorite is Garden) that are all decorated to really get you into the holiday spirit. There will also be plenty of street food, including local knaffeh, Druze pita, cotton candy, donuts, and so much more.
Amongst the street food, there are also little booths selling all kinds of children’s toys and decorations. You’ll hear the sounds of street performers as you wander around.
When and Where?
When: The festival occurs every December. The 2022 celebrations are taking place between December 8-26.
Where: You can start off at Sderot Ben Gurion, the German Colony, Haifa
You can navigate to this location:
Where to Stay
You can stay near the festival, by the German colony to avoid traffic to and from the festival. Here are some top rated hotels for you to check out in the area:
Booking.comIf you’re planning on doing a weekend trip to see the festival, scroll to the bottom for other things to do in Haifa during your stay!
How to Get There
Avoid driving to the festival. If you want to bring a car, park it a little bit away so you can walk or take the metronit one or two stops to get straight to where the action is.
You can take the Metronit (rapid bus system) numbered 1 or 2 and get off at the German Colony station, or take numerous busses to the nearby bus stations. I recommend using Google Maps or Moovit apps and navigating to this location.
Other Things to Do in Haifa
Conclusion
I hope you all enjoy the holiday season! What’s your favorite activity to do this month? Share with me down below in the comments!
And until next time,
Take a shans!
