Festival of Lights

Christian Information Center becomes
a screen for light display

I finally went to see the Festival of Lights. But not before having a good rest in the late afternoon. I find myself easily exhausted nowadays ... the asthma is not helping me much in getting more oxygen and energy ... and I'm getting old. But the night walk was pleasant.

The routes of the Festival have changed a little : the Christian and Jewish Quarter exhibits have been reduced and more have been placed along the City Walls. Perhaps it's for security reasons, as the roads inside the 2 Quarters are very narrow and filled with many small and dark alleys. Hence more displays were organized along the Armenian Quarter and additional sites outside the City Walls even across into the Artists' Quarter in the Hinnom Valley and all the way up Jaffa Street into Ben Yehudi Mall.

Outside the City Walls along
Jaffa Gate

And the crowds were huge ... quite like several years back. Only difference is this year there is a noticeable increase in ultra-orthodox jews. Secular jews were markedly few this year. And security was not as heavy as I expected.

Among the many jewish orthodox visitors were a scattering of arabs and tourists. Again they were much fewer than previous years. Nevertheless it was a pleasant change of climate. People were enjoying themselves. The displays were not as spectacular as the previous years. The economic crisis must be biting. Exhibits as usual came from various countries besides local ones.

And I must be getting old ... or very sick as I could not walk the entire festival routes. I only went through the white route (main route from Jaffa Gate to the jewish quarter) down to the red route which passed through Mt. Zion (Dormition Abbey and Last Supper Room) and outside the City Walls back to Jaffa Gate. I didn't see the Blue route in the Christian Quarter nor the Pink route in Jaffa Street and Ben Yehudi Mall. On my way home I had to pass by part of the green route (toward Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter but outside the City Walls). It was almost midnight by then. Almost 2 and a half hours of walking seeing only half the festival lights. Must definitely be getting old.