Walk Into the Lights at the New Gate
It is early evening in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, and the alleyways around the New Gate are strung with illuminations. Stalls selling food and gifts line the route, concerts and live performances run through the two weeks leading up to Christmas, and tours thread visitors through the quarter after dark. This is Jerusalem's festive Christmas Market, and it is the centre of the city's Orthodox Christmas season. Start here, walk slowly, and let the crowd carry you.
Follow the Snowballs to Santa's House
In the Christian Quarter alleyways, an exhibition of large "snowballs" leads you to Santa's House — the home of Issa Kassissieh, described as the only official accredited Santa of the Holy Land. The 700-year-old house opens free of charge every early evening except Sunday, with a Christmas bazaar, drinks and toys inside. It is one of the few Christmas attractions in the city that costs nothing and asks nothing of you but the walk.
- Concert venues in the Christian Quarter: the Latin Patriarchate Church, the Church of San Salvador at the New Gate, and the concert hall of the Custodia Terra Santa.
- Plan around the church calendar: Christmas church schedules are published on the Christian Information Center website — check it before you go, since service times shape everything else in the quarter.
Cross to Bethlehem for Christmas Eve
Bethlehem sits about six miles south of Jerusalem, and the Israel Ministry of Tourism runs free roundtrip shuttle transport for pilgrims between the two cities, dropping off near the Church of the Nativity. The Church of the Nativity was built by the Romans about 500 years after the traditional birth; beneath the main altar, in the Grotto of the Nativity, a silver star marks the traditional birth site.
The shuttle runs from the afternoon of Christmas Eve until 2 am on Christmas Day, timing itself around the Christmas Eve Mass of the Nativity, which runs from the afternoon through midnight. Christmas Eve in Bethlehem also brings a parade through town and carol singing in Manger Square. If you make one journey outside Jerusalem this season, make it this one.
Head North for Parades and Fireworks
Nazareth's annual Christmas market runs from November until January, with stalls, food and drink, illuminations, and a large illuminated Christmas tree near Mary's Well. On Christmas Eve, a colourful parade with fireworks and local youth groups moves through the town. For the Orthodox community, a second Christmas parade with fireworks takes place on 6 January — the date to build a northern leg of your trip around. Many churches and halls host concerts, and the annual liturgical festival features concerts in three churches with international musicians.
In Haifa, the Festival of Festivals celebrates Judaism, Christianity and Islam and their holidays — Hanuka, Christmas and Ramadan, which often coincide in December. It takes place in the Arab Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood and extends to the German Colony at the foot of the Baha'i Gardens. Expect an Antique Fair, authentic food prepared by Wadi Nisnas residents, music by artists of all ethnicities, performances, an arts and crafts fair, tours and dances. Liturgical music concerts in Haifa's churches and halls combine Christian liturgical music with Arab and Israeli heritage.
Eat, Wander, and Time It Right
Christmas food in the Holy Land is street food as much as it is table food: the Jerusalem market around the New Gate and the stalls of Nazareth's market from November to January both keep you fed as you walk, and in Haifa the food is prepared by Wadi Nisnas residents themselves — the neighbourhood's own kitchens, served in the neighbourhood. In Jerusalem, arrive in the two weeks leading up to Christmas to catch the market at full swing; in Nazareth, the market is running from November until January, so you have a wide window. If you want the Orthodox celebration specifically, the 6 January parade in Nazareth is the fixed point in the calendar, and the Jerusalem quarter's illuminations, concerts and Santa's House evenings fill the season around it.
About half of visitors to Israel are Christian, and roughly 150,000 pilgrims visit during the Christmas period, so book transport and accommodation early and treat the church schedules as your timetable. Look up the Christian Information Center's Christmas schedules, check the shuttle arrangements between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and start planning your nights around the New Gate — the season rewards those who arrive on foot, unhurried, and stay out after dark.