Last month, on Shavuot holiday, I attended a summer happening at the Green Village. Hakfar Hayarok, as it is called in hebrew, is a rural oasis in the middle of an urban, bustling area. It is a youth village, originally an agricultural one. Nowadays, agriculture studies are given within the framework of the versatile Life Science department established here. The village is experimental in many ways , and offers an interesting variety of educational programs and courses,.
main entrance path to the village
"Shavuot" (the feast of the Weeks) commemorates the giving of the ten commandements by God to Moses and the israelites on Mt. Sinai. It also celebrates the concluding festival of grain harvest which begins at Passover. In addition, it is known as the holiday of the first fruit. It is customary on this holiday, among other things, to eat dairy foods, and read the book of Ruth.
hay
The green little village looked very festive with its balloon and ribbon decorations, posters and agricultural exhibits. The atmosphere was one of great joy and fun.
tractor exibit
The Happening included - touring the village, eating of salads and cake, all-family activities such as: stretching out balls of dough to thin sheets and introducing these sheets into a special oven ( taboon) to bake an airy kind of pita bread; driving a tractor, playing ball games , contemplating the livestock.
taboon
putting salad into a pita bread-pocket
chickens
The happening ended in the late evening hours with a rich artistic program (songs, dances, declamations) performed by the youth living and studying in the village.
the stage
Do watch my video! Enjoy the sight of the dances on the stage (at the end).
It looks like an enjoyable day! The girl dancers look like flowers!
ReplyDeletethe very idea of Hakfar Hayarok is fantastic...
ReplyDeletetoday, we need such oasis all over the urban areas...
thanks for sharing such valuable information...
Great post and great video DUTA. The food looked great! What beautiful colors and decorations. I love the green in the dancers costumes.
ReplyDeleteI always learn something new when I visit you DUTA! I had never heard of this festival! It strikes me as unusual that on the holiday of the first fruit it's customary to eat dairy foods? I would think one would eat fruit :-)
Dimple,
ReplyDeleteLike flowers indeed. The costumes of those performing on the stage were lovely.
Jyothisethu,
I totally agree with your opinion. I believe this youth village could well serve as a model to the world in many respects: educational, environmental, agricultural, etc..
Alicia,
They do eat fruit on Shavuot. The custom of eating dairy foods is related to the fact that at that time the israelites couldn't eat meat for kosher reasons.
What a fun place! I'm sure everyone had fun there. Wish I could see it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for uploading this lovely video. I did enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThe food looked amazing & everyone so happy!
What a great concept. It looks like a most lovely and relaxing day. The food looks like it was delicious, and I'm sure the dancers were as graceful and lovely as they looked. Thanks for taking us there, via your pictures. I always look forward to learning something with each one of your posts.
ReplyDeleteMy dear friend Duta,
ReplyDeleteVery nice celebration! And the girls in green dresses, beautifully danced!
And in Greece, we have celebrations in the villages themselves.
Cook and offer guests. And after dancing traditional dances.
Previously sold and animals, called "trade fair."
Have a nice weekend!
Your blog gave me a glimpse into another world Duta. It looked a very lovely celebration, especially being rounded off with the dancing. Great video at the end!
ReplyDeleteMore and more cities are creating some urban gardens, walkways etc. I love the thought that this one looks so professional. I think that those who go back to nature get a better understanding and appreciation of products. Every child should be given seeds to grow and be surprised as to what the plant will produce. Thanks for sharing. Peace
ReplyDeleteJanie B,
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher you might find interesting things about the place as far as teaching and learning are concerned. Just googlre the name.
PinkPanthress,
You're welcome!
The food was tasty and fresh. Well, you know, there's no much happiness on an empty stomach:)
Bica,
You're right about everything: the concept, the food, the dancers.
You're welcome!
magda,
Oh, well - your country Greece is famous for its festivals, celebrations, traditions and hospitality. In fact, most of the Mediterranean countries excel in all of the above things.
Vera,
Lovely celebration it was indeed.
I'm glad you liked my video and the..dances.
Lady Di Tn,
True. This place promotes science and social studies within an ecological, environmental framework. It works great.
Hello Duta, this is my first time stopping by your blog. So fun to visit Israel on Shavuot with you! I have not been there for real since I was 16, but my friend is visiting family there this week.
ReplyDeleteThat is nice to see a tractor and chickens! The path is peaceful...
ReplyDeleteLauraX,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my little blog!
Shavuot is fun and Israel is worth a visit.
Kim @ Stuff,
It's a green, peaceful place but not a quiet one as it has lots of students, livestock, agricultural machines (such as the tractor)- and all this makes noise, albeit positive noise.
What a wonderful way to spend a day! I love that it's a little piece of 'country' amidst the bustle of an urban area, with honeybees and cows, no less!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to celebrate Shavuot with you through this post!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed it!
Thank you, Duta.
Margie :)
How fun. What a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteWord Nerd,
ReplyDeleteThe honeybees were quite an attraction; visitors got explanation about the bees from the very person responsible for them.
Margie,
Shavuot is a wonderful holiday and it's a delight to celebrate it.
Trudy Callan,
Yes, it was fun for all ages and genders, and the day was one of sheer pleasure.
What a fun day out! Thank you - I enjoyed that:)
ReplyDeletePitta reminds me of happy times in Greece.
Looks like an enjoyable celebration with plenty of food, activities and exhibits. I very much like that tractor and the side profile that you photographed.
ReplyDeletePat,
ReplyDeleteWelcome!
Pitta is common in the Middle East countries and also in Greece and Turkey. You can fill it with all kinds of stuff and it tastes delicious.
J_on_tour@jayspaze,
Yes, it was enjoyable. This youth village does it every year, and hundreds of people attend it.
I thoroughly enjoyed "visiting" the fair with you. Lots of interesting places to visit, and the food looked so good. The dancers were beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDuta-Once again so informative & gorgeous pictures. I love seeing and hearing of your culture...(and LOVE reading Ruth in the Bible too!) Have a wonderful weekend my friend!
ReplyDeleteCheryl,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and for enjoying my last post on the Green Village.
Lisa Petrarca,
I'm glad you like to hear and see things related to my culture.
A wonderful weekend to you too!
What do we need to be happy? A few moments with our friends or family, peace and sunny days. And what you describe looks like a wonderful day :)
ReplyDeleterobert,
ReplyDeleteWonderful day it was, indeed.
Your're soooo right about our modest needs: spending some moments with our dear ones on sunny, peaceful days.
Hi again!! Found the way here from your Cottage post!! I loved the dances and your video!!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThe dances performed by the students of the youth village were lovely.
The food on the long tables was rich and varied. The display of agricultural tools and products - interesting.
The place has developed from a small youth village into an international ecological college.