Christmas isn’t a public holiday in Israel. For most of the country, 25 December is a completely normal working day, and in most places you won’t feel any Christmas spirit at all (many people won’t even be aware it’s Christmas). In the Christian areas, though, it’s a celebration, with trees, lights, markets, processions and services in Bethlehem, Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter, Nazareth and Jaffa.
It’s also the busiest time of the year for travel to Israel, and if you’re coming, the most important advice I can give is to plan ahead.
Quick facts & guide tips
| What it is | The Christian festival of the birth of Jesus, celebrated here on three different dates by different churches. |
|---|---|
| When | 24 to 25 December (Catholic and Protestant churches), 6 to 7 January (most Orthodox churches) and 18 to 19 January (the Armenians). |
| What closes | Nothing in most of the country. In Christian areas, shops and businesses close. |
| The feeling | Trees, lights and markets in the Christian areas; business as usual everywhere else. |
| Guide tip | Christmas to New Year is the busiest week of the year for tourism: book early, and have a backup plan in case of rain. |
Christmas in Bethlehem
Bethlehem is where many people want to be on Christmas Eve. The Latin Patriarch travels in procession from Jerusalem to Manger Square in the early afternoon (it’s more complicated at the moment, though, because of the higher security tensions, so if you want to join this, check how it’s happening), and Midnight Mass is held in the Church of St Catherine, next to the Church of the Nativity.
If you want the atmosphere, Christmas Eve is the time to be there, but it’s chaotic, and your chances of getting into the church itself are minimal. Midnight Mass tickets are free but limited, and you have to apply in advance; most people join the throngs watching the live broadcast on a big screen in Manger Square.
As an Israeli guide I don’t work inside the Palestinian cities, so I arrange the day in Bethlehem with a trusted Palestinian colleague who guides you on the ground. You can read more about exploring Bethlehem and Jericho as a day trip (it’s popular to combine the two cities), or in my older post about my first visit to Bethlehem.
Whether the public celebrations go ahead is hard to know in advance. They were cancelled in 2023 and 2024 because of the war, but the city lit its Christmas tree in Manger Square again in December 2025. I’ll update this post once this year’s plans are clearer, but it’s worth checking close to the date too.
Christmas in Jerusalem
For the Christmas atmosphere in Jerusalem, the Christian Quarter of the Old City is the place to go. The streets are decorated, and there’s usually a tree and festivities around the New Gate. There’s a variety of church services to choose from too, across the different churches and languages.
The YMCA also has a long tradition of Christmas events, including a tree lighting, a Christmas bazaar and a Christmas Eve concert with a carol sing-along (the bells in its tower are played beforehand). Check their programme for this year’s dates.
Nazareth, Haifa and Jaffa
I’ve heard great things about Nazareth‘s Christmas market, although I haven’t yet been myself. Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel, with a big Christian community; the market is held around Mary’s Well, and there’s a big parade just before the holiday, finished off with fireworks.
In Haifa, the Holiday of Holidays festival runs on the December weekends in and around Wadi Nisnas, celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and the Muslim festivals together (it began in 1993, a year when Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan all fell in December). And closer to Tel Aviv, there’s a big Christmas tree by the clock tower in Jaffa (this is how it looked in 2025).
The January Christmases
Christmas comes more than once here. Most of the Orthodox churches (the Greek Orthodox, Russian, Coptic and Ethiopian among them) follow the old Julian calendar, so they celebrate on 7 January, with Christmas Eve on the 6th. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch travels in procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, stopping at the Mar Elias monastery on the way, and is welcomed into Manger Square by marching bands before the services at the Church of the Nativity.
The Armenians come last of all, on 18 and 19 January. Most Armenians elsewhere celebrate on 6 January, but the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem keeps the old calendar, which makes theirs the last Christmas in the world. The Patriarch and his clergy go in procession from the Old City to Bethlehem, and the services carry on throughout the night, including one in the Grotto of the Nativity, beneath the church.
New Year’s Eve
1 January is a normal working day here, so New Year’s Eve (which most Israelis call Sylvester) isn’t a big deal. There are some parties, especially in Tel Aviv, but it’s not a huge night out, because people go to work the next day.
The exception is the Russian-speaking community, many of whom came from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. For them New Year (Novy God) is a major event, with a tree, a big family dinner and Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), so you may well see a few Father Christmas hats around. Many of them work in the tourism industry, so if your guide, driver or someone else helping with your tour is of Russian heritage, be sensitive to the fact that they’ll probably want to spend this evening with their family.
Christmas and your trip
The week between Christmas and New Year is the busiest time of the year for travel to Israel. Plan ahead as much as you can, as hotels are at premium rates, and many guides and some attractions get booked up too.
But it’s also unpredictable weather-wise, so make sure to have back-up plans in case of rain, and bring layers of clothing so you can adapt during the day from cooler mornings to sometimes quite warm afternoons.
I can set up whatever you’d like, of course: Bethlehem with my Palestinian colleague, Christmas in the Christian Quarter, or a day in Nazareth and the Christian sites of the Galilee.
To learn more about how other holidays affect a trip to Israel, take a look at my plan your trip page.
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