The Festival of Lights was not, as it turned out, an early Diwali. It was an opportunity to take a leisurely walk through an outdoor festival of exceptional arrangements of lights in every color. This festival was held at the outdoor Mamilla Mall in Jerusalem.
Upon starting our walk, each member of our icnext group received a map detailing the four paths they could take throughout Mamila. Although the lights were arranged differently on different paths, the experience on each one was very similar. A few times along each route there would be an image projected on a huge wall, the first one on the path I took showed blooming flowers and birds.
The path wound through many of the side streets and a few vendors took full advantage of the fact that hundreds, if not thousands or people would be passing them. It was then that I got my first Magnum bar this trip – a true watershed moment in my Israel experience!
The fact that so many hundreds of people came out just to see light arrangements (granted, the most spectacular ones I’ve ever seen) gives me hope that people in Israel have not forgotten how to enjoy the simple things in life. I saw it as an opportunity to take a relaxing walk with beautiful scenery while chatting with a couple friends. For us it was a fairly unstructured activity in that our group was given a map, told to pick a path and be at the meeting point at a certain time. It was also a great opportunity to look deeper into Israeli society and the many tourists that happened to be attending. Many families were at the festival, so finding one to photograph was not a difficult task.
This Festival illustrated the rich diversity in religions, cultures and languages that all have a niche in Israeli society. When you can go up to strangers and talk with them and take their picture, and then end your night by listening to a violinist on the street play a medley of songs from Fiddler on the Roof, you know you’re somewhere special.