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You've got to give the government of Israel credit. Whatever criticisms may be lobbied against it, it knows how to schedule state holidays for maximum emotional impact. The week after Passover sobers the national mood with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Day) and Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), grim reminders of the slaughter of Europe's Jews and many sacrifices of Israel's citizens during the country's short history - but as soon as the sun sets on Yom HaZikaron, the assorted revelries of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, begin. And what a release it is.

On May 14, 1948 - the 5th of Iyar on the Hebrew calendar, which determines the Gregorian date of the holiday each year - the British Mandate over Palestine expired, and David Ben-Gurion officially declared the formation of the State of Israel, a declaration quickly ratified in the United Nations. The resulting annual holiday's official commemoration involves a somewhat stuffy ceremony atop Mount Herzl, in which distinguished citizens of Israel are invited to light 12 torches, one for each tribe of Israel, with all the military color guard pomp and circumstance such occasions seem to demand - but the real fun, of course, takes place elsewhere.

As soon as the stars come out, Jerusalemites spill into the streets for a running riot of a party through the plazas and back alleys of downtown, beneath the sound and thunder of fireworks lofted skyward from Jerusalem's parks and ear-splitting Israeli pop from both live bands and soundsystems. First time visitors will note certain peculiarities of Independence Day celebration Jerusalem-style: two accessories are de rigueur, plastic squeaky hammers and cans of Silly String, and the application of said accessories is, er, democratic. Nobody is safe from this slightly aggressive, if ultimately good-natured, display of national cheer, so it is perhaps unwise to wear delicate clothing or expensive hats. It should also be noted that while the initial festivities are family-friendly, as the night wears on and the drink begins to take hold, the mood becomes a good bit more raucous. Children - and anyone with delicate sensibilities - should definitely be put to bed.

But it's during the next day that the true Israeli way to celebrate Independence Day becomes apparent: it's all about the mangal. Arabic-derived slang for a small portable charcoal cooking stove, the mangal is the very embodiment of Yom Ha'atzmaut, as seemingly every single person in the city breaks theirs out of storage and, pausing to hang a fluttering Israeli flag or seven from the balcony, makes for the nearest scrap of green space and gets the kebabs grilling. Sacher Park becomes nearly invisible beneath a haze of mangal smoke, with families literally shoulder to shoulder on the green scarfing down chicken hearts and lamb meatballs with hummus and pita (under the thankfully watchful eyes of the Jerusalem Fire Department). Impromptu games of soccer and frisbee with Jerusalem's irrepressible youth are the order of the day if the mangal has failed to take you out of commission - a perfectly normal way to celebrate a perfectly extraordinary event. Don't miss it.