The holiday of holidays - a photo tour
The holiday of holidays was held this year in an updated format - the main stage and most of the shows took place in the German Colony and Wadi Nisnas was also filled to capacity. About 142,000 people arrived on the first Saturday and about 240,000 people on the second Saturday.
For a carnival that has not yet been seen here in the city of Haifa • A winning format.

It's hard to believe that there are Haifaites who didn't make it to the celebration, but if there are still some who missed it - this article is for you.
We will start the photo tour from Wadi Nisnas and continue from there to the German colony
In Wadi Nisnas there was a performance of the birth of Christ

In Wadi, food stalls opened on every corner. The smells of barbecues mingled with the aromas of roasted chestnuts. For a moment it seemed that every business had a barbecue.
Butlers Abu Shakara put out a huge facility for grilling meat and a DJ at the street, who bombarded the street with cheerful music.



Tens of thousands thronged Wadi Nisnas
Although the main stage was in the German colony, but if we thought that this would reduce the number of visitors to the Wadi, then we were wrong. The wadi was packed to capacity with tens of thousands at a time. Everyone came to taste and smell the flavors of Haifa Arab cuisine.

All the meatballs eventually jumped into the pitas and from there they were quickly distributed to the crowds of revelers.



[bs-white-space]
Among the crowds of Israelis, you could also see organized groups, who traveled with guides, who talked to the travelers in a tangle of languages.

Amidst all the chaos, it was a little surprising to see some who continued the routine of life and went to buy fresh vegetables and fruits in Yarkanya in Wadi Nisnas

[bs-white-space]
The Haifa police played it big with increased forces and managed to pass this huge event quietly and peacefully
Masses of armed police patrolled the revelers. Among them you could also be seen Outstanding Patrol Policeman Shalom Shulimovich, who led a foot patrol force in Wadi Nisnas.

Ziva Yuskovich The police officer of the Sheprintak neighborhood positioned herself with her new mobile at the entrance to the Wadi on Sderot Zion Street and directed the traffic. Sderot Zionion became a pedestrian street in the section below Beit HaHafen. As you remember, a few weeks ago we reported here about the new mobility that replaced the scooters.

The bands were organized in the streets near the German colony


[bs-white-space]
The main streets were closed to vehicular traffic and turned into a pedestrian street.


The Bahá'í Gardens opened their gates to crowds of visitors in the lower section. The entrance was from the direction of the German colony.

Anyone who tried to drive his car through the streets near the German colony encountered serious difficulties. All the nearby streets were completely congested and so was Hafen Street in the picture.

The German Colony - a huge and crowded pedestrian street during the holiday of the holidays
Emily Gore from Tel Aviv looks at the crowd from the height of her father's shoulders. The German colony was crowded with close to a hundred thousand people.



Some of the celebrants, Jews, Muslims and Christians, wore the famous Santa hats and other Christmas accessories and painted the street iridescent red

The residents who live in the area were under a siege that lasted for two weekends, but they seemed to be flowing with the situation with a lot of patience.

The peace drum band performed on the main stage. The band combines Jewish and Arab schools, including the school in Evelin and Leo Buck in Haifa. The band performs around the world and recently performed at the evening commemorating the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht in Germany.

At 17:45 a spectacular fireworks show began and the eyes of the huge crowd were turned to the sky. Alongside them were the smartphone lenses, which created tens of thousands of gigabytes of video at the same time...


The spectators come in procession:
Pale Scouts, Maronite Scouts and Carmel Scouts marched in the center of the German colony in a march accompanied by drumming. They waved the flags of the scouts and received the applause of the audience and the encouragement of the announcer from the main stage.

Crowds bought balloons, various light toys and Christmas hats


Many food stands were opened in the German colony, but these were less authentic than the Wadi and more commercialized. That didn't stop Alfie from dining on street food.



In the evening, the churches in the area were lit up with thousands of twinkling lights


A time for fun is also a time for hugs
See you next holiday... Yaron Karmi
