Spring Celebrations

Festival: A day or a period of celebration. ~ Google dictionary

The first words uncle Google uses to define Festival really hit the nail on the head. Then he starts talking about religious connotations, organized shows, annual events, etc. Let out your free nature and be merry and fulfilled. Israel celebrates one of her major holidays this week - Passover has always been a time of festivity. Since we cannot drive too far beyond our six hour north-south and two hour east-west borders, everything happens relatively nearby.

Most folks get a week or two off during Passover, pretty much like Christmas, except it happens in the spring. It’s been traditionally celebrated since the Exodus to mark freedom, spring time, inner and outer cleansing and the winning of a minority over a dictatorship that hates them for being successful. It’s said that only a small part of the Israelites actually left Egypt when Moses called the game. Is it really that scary to break free?

Celebrate creation, the seasons, life and nature, evolution, new beginnings. Celebrate change and be festive. You will find festivals all over the country this holiday, but some of them will never come up on your first search. My friend and I took the wrong turn on our way to the beach in Tel Aviv Friday morning. There were two open Goldstar bottles separating my crotch and his butt on the back of his one-foot-in-the-grave 150cc scooter. Suddenly I recognized a gypsy friend we both haven't seen for many years and we stopped to say hi.

The friend told us about a small festival that takes place in a godforsaken bank of the Jordan River up north. I knew I was going to do something special over the weekend so I had a toothbrush with me, but I didn’t know what this special thing would be and how I'd get there. But something inside was screaming to get out. An hour later we ran into a beautiful German traveler, a gypsy transforming into a modern woman, who was looking for a way to get to the very same festival. My friend and his scooter stayed in Tel Aviv; she and I headed up north - two hours by car or three hours by bus.  

At sunset we reached a large space in a natural eucalyptus grove with a peaceful river at its feet. A huge central fire with 150 people singing, dancing, playing music; celebrating the spring and the International Day of Equality. The city would define their outfits as rugs rather than garments. Kids ran wildly and played all day and all night. An underground festival. Gosh. Would my city persona that knows nothing but job-hunt these days be of any obstacle when it comes to hard-core hippies on the river-side?

The unplugged music didn’t stop for one moment all night long. Guitars, percussion, string instruments flutes and singing. Lots and lots of singing. Gypsy style atmosphere with a soft Israeli vibe, country folks and new-agers of all kinds and shapes. People hug each other everywhere and smile at you silly; lovingly. Strangers who choose to dress and laugh and dance like animals and to become a tribe different than the norm. Joint meals, no charge. Each person gives according to his or her own ability.

I didn’t have a blanket nor a sweater, and although the music kept the hearts warm, night air turned cold. I fell asleep next to a beautiful girl I didn’t know who smelled amazing, and we kept each other warm. Just like me, almost all guests ran personal morning yoga sets whenever they woke up, and no one took it strangely. Soft sun squinted behind cold spring clouds as I stretched spirit and body with deep pranayama, and light drops of rain caressed my face and skin. Coffee and tea pots endlessly circled the fire that never died, and no one cared for the time.

Alternative workshops you don’t hear about in the city were happening during the day. I took part in a couples-yoga class with a pixie. Beautiful volunteers walked around the compound with cut fruit on silver plates. I didn’t feel like eating the whole day. I’ve been very depressed lately because of real-life situations; all I needed was to be light for just a little bit longer. Fruit was perfect. More than perfect. There’s a whole world of systemized life behind each pair of eyes, but no one wants to know anything about it. They want to know the real person behind those eyes, and to share deepest feelings and thoughts.

Can you put the system aside and stare straight in the eyes of yourself and others? To open up and to Love does not always feel comfortable. But it does. The person inside doesn’t always stand on the same line with the person outside. Did your city persona take over? Who do you want to be and who you practically are? Who do you truly turn yourself into? Phony me, need to have life crashed at the rocks (see previous articles) to make room and bring up oblivion, fundamental self-observation.

Who’s got time to challenge themselves? Most of us have a life we’re confident of. Gratefully, we’ve got goals, ideals, possessions (usually), directions, limiting roots. We thought alot about life decisions and it’s hard to let go even when we celebrate. Reality junkies. It’s good, it protects, it intrigues, it builds personal and social values and most of us try to make those values good. It keeps our teeth healthy and our immediate environment more comfortable and safe. It is stressful therefor holidays, and a change of environment is important.

Three people helped me cross the river at night on an improvised raft dry and safe. I woke up the day after in a Kibbutz near the river, the Pixies played on the stereo and the birds sang outside the window. Life is not perfect. Life is sometimes hard. Heavy. But who are we to mess with the bigger plan? Passover is a time everyone takes a vacation in Israel. No one will look at my resume anyhow. I’m gonna festive the hell out of this holiday, in places uncle Google didn’t even hear about.