Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Independence Day) celebrations begin a few minutes after the sun sets at the end of Yom HaZikaron, the Remembrance Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism. A strong bond links these two days: To a large extent Israelis owe their independence - the very existence of the state - to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it. The juxtaposition of the two days relates the euphoria of independence to the awareness of its cost.
Special ceremonies mark the transition from mourning to celebration. The main event is held on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Apart of the official ceremony, numerous traditions evolved to celebrate the holiday over the years:
In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, night time festivities are held on the main streets and squares where crowds gather to watch public shows. In rural areas, many people spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. Many army bases are open to the public, offering Israelis a glimpse into their daily routine and their achievements. Independence Day has also turned into Israel’s unofficial barbeque holiday with families picnicking in every green spot they can find in the country.
Looking back to Israel’s establishment in 1948 the transformation of the young state from a country with rationed food supplies and a barely existent economy into today’s start-up nation is outstanding.
At age 68 there is much to celebrate - Israel’s population has grown tenfold since its inception in 1948, from 806,000 to 8.5 million Israelis today. While in the first years only a third of the population was native born today “sabras” (in Israel born citizens) amount to over three quarters of the population.
The number of women in the Knesset has almost tripled from a mere 10% at the first Knesset session in 1949 (including Golda Meir, Israel’s first female prime minister) to more than 25% today.
In 2015, Ben Gurion Airport, one of the safest airports worldwide, welcomed more than 15 million travellers – in 1948 only 40,000 passengers passed through the then rather modest hub.
From the symbolic “land of milk and honey” in biblical times Israel has, as a matter of fact, turned into the country with the most productive dairy cows worldwide: each cow produces 12,000 litres milk per year, over 10% more than 2nd ranked American cows and almost 50% more than their German counterparts.
And on top of that Israel has also turned into the land of oat milk and agave syrup: with 5% vegans Israel has the highest number of vegans worldwide. With more than 400 certified vegan friendly restaurants in Tel Aviv alone Israel has been declared “vegan paradise” by several blogs, magazines and newspapers.
Watch examples of other interesting and fun facts about the young nation in the Middle East in this video: 68 facts about Israel
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