Sukkot

 On Succot, special emphasis is placed on the “Ushpizin” the seven special “guests” who visit us in the Succah, and the first three, our holy forefathers, slumbering in Hebron. Succot, as explained in the Zohar, is also the special holiday of the Patriarch Jacob.
On two days of Chol HaMoed Succot, the Ma'ara is entirely open to Jews, and on one of those days, Hallel is sung, as part of Shacharit, in the Carelebach style, and accompanied by an orchestra. Also, a mass Chassidic music festival is held in the plaza outside the Ma'ara later in the day. During those days, chartered buses leave for the Ma'ara from all over Israel, and the plaza of the Ma'ara dons picturesque holiday garb. In that plaza stands a gigantic succah for the benefit of visitors, and there are guided tours of the sites of the town.