Hamshushalayim (Hebrew: חמשושלים‎) is an annual cultural festival initiated[when?] by the Jerusalem Development Authority together with the Prime Minister's Office and the Jerusalem municipality. The festival takes its name from the word hamshush, military slang meaning "weekend beginning on Thursday," combined with the Hebrew name for Jerusalem, Yerushalayim. It lasts for three weekends during the month of December and includes free entrance to museums, guided tours, musical performances, and discounted hotels.[22] 480,000 people were drawn to hamshushalayim in 2008.[23]