When and how is the Jewish New Year celebrated?

New Year is the largest holiday celebrated all over the world. Each nation has its own traditions and rules for holding this celebration. Residents of Russia traditionally celebrate the New Year on the night of December 31 to January 1. However, some countries celebrate this event at a different time of the year and follow completely different traditions that were established many centuries ago.

The Jews retained special traditions of the transition to the next year. The Jewish New Year is significantly different from the holiday celebrated by residents of Russia and other CIS countries. The Jews call the coming of the new year Rosh Hashanah. According to their chronology, representatives of this people met in September last year (2019) the New Year 5780 (the figure established for the Jewish calendar).

Celebrating the New Year is of great importance. For Jews, this is a special holiday that includes age-old traditions, rules and norms. Also the celebration is called "Rosh Hashana" and "Rosh Hashana". Translated, this phrase means "head of the year." Preparation for this celebration begins long before its onset. For a dignified New Year's Eve, it is necessary to prepare special dishes, as well as paraphernalia.

Throughout the celebration, the following phrases can be heard: "Shana Tova" and "Shana tova u-metuka". Translated into Russian, they mean the following - "Good year" and "Good, sweet year." Congratulations come from all sides. Such wishes are traditional.

This celebration is closely related to religious foundations. At the beginning of the new year, Jews turn to God in prayers and necessarily repent of their sins. Spiritual cleansing lasts for ten days. This period is called "Days of Awe" or "Days of Repentance."

When this period comes to an end, the next important event for the Jews begins, called the "Day of Atonement" or "Yom Kippur". Also, the Jews call this holiday as "Day of Forgiveness" or "Judgment Day".

This is a special time for every Jew. According to their faith, it is during this period that God determines the fate of the people and each person for the next year. During prayer, each person analyzes the past year, shares his plans for the future. Also, special attention is paid to working on mistakes and analyzing actions.

Jews who observe traditions and confessions sincerely believe in the good intentions of the Creator. They believe that God wants only good for them, and with sincere repentance, everyone deserves a chance for correction and a happy life. In general, this is a bright and joyful holiday associated with the hope for a better and happier future.

According to Jewish traditions, God created the world in the seventh month - Tishrei. This is the month of the beginning of the new year. During this period, most of the holidays of the Jewish people take place. With the coming of the next year, the Jews have the following important events:

• creation of the world and the first man;
• the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden;
• the day of the end of the Flood, as a symbol of the renewal of the world and the onset of a new era;
• some other religious events.

In every Jewish temple, a special service is necessarily held, during which Jews remember significant events. This is the essence of the Jewish New Year.

When celebrating the new year, you cannot do without special paraphernalia. Jews use a special signaling instrument called the Shofar. For its manufacture, a large horn of a ram or goat is used. This is a must-have tool that is considered an essential attribute of the holiday.

In ancient times, using this tool, Jews were called to meetings. Also, with the help of its sound, they announced the onset of war or the decrees of the authorities. Now, with the help of the shofar, the Jewish people are announcing that the Day of God's judgment is approaching.

This instrument is now used in synagogues. Its sound is heard at the end of the morning prayer. This service takes place with the onset of the 6th month, which is called "Elul". The instrument is used before the penultimate day of the lunar month.

It should be noted that the shofar is not used every day. On the eve of the upcoming celebration, the horn is not used. They take a break for one day, and with the onset of the holiday, the Jews again heard the sound of a traditional instrument, low and loud.

Russians associate New Year's holiday with winter, snow and frost. In Israel, this celebration is necessarily celebrated in the fall. It is necessary to clarify that the Jews use a special lunisolar calendar, which differs from the traditional one in many other countries. According to this calendar, the holidays fall on different dates each time.

The first month is called "Nisan" or "Aviv". This period falls in the spring (the first and second months of the Gregorian calendar). Tyoreus is the seventh month, just in autumn (September or October). As you can see, the calendar starts in spring and the new year begins in the fall.

A special menu is prepared for each holiday. For the New Year, Jews prepare certain dishes according to age-old traditions.

When moving to the next year, they do without dishes with a pronounced pungent, sour and bitter taste. Jews believe that such food brings trouble and trouble. If you disobey tradition, sadness and bitterness will come into family life. Also, nuts are not served on the table, as this product is associated with sin.

They celebrate the New Year not only through services in the temple, but also by observing a festive meal. A special lunch is organized on the night before the onset of Rosh Hashanah. In this case, it is also important to observe ancient traditions and special rules.

The gala dinner is conducted as follows.

• To begin with, a prayer is read, in which the owner of the house, his family and invited guests participate.
• The host then dips a small piece of the holiday bread in honey. This is a symbol that the next year will be sweet. The flour product is called "challah".
• After eating the bread, they move on to the apple. The fruit is cut into wedges and dipped in honey. During this, they must bless the tree that gave the fruits for the festive meal. Jews turn to God, ask him for fertility and a good harvest.
• In some families, it is customary to put fish dishes on the table. A ram's head is also served as a traditional holiday treat. In the process of eating it, they utter a phrase in which, referring to God, the Jews ask "Be a head, not tails."
• Even when celebrating the New Year, they feast on pomegranate seeds. It also has a sacred meaning. Eating ripe fruit, in an appeal to God, the people asks to multiply merits, just as the seeds of a fruit multiply.
• Modern housewives, who have remained faithful to centuries-old traditions, put vegetable dishes on the table. Treats from carrots and beets are in great demand.

Each holiday has its own traditions, which must be observed on a special holiday. If the Russians traditionally put up a Christmas tree, then the Jews have their own rules and rituals. Most of the rituals are associated with food and eating habits. Families visit to congratulate each other. We talked about this above in the article.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should always be on the table. This is a symbol of the fact that the coming year will be nourishing, rich and prosperous. On this day, it is customary to congratulate everyone, and gifts are given to adults and children.

Also, on the eve of the first day of the New Year, candles are always lit. This is done strictly before sunset. In some cases, a holiday Rosh Hashanah may coincide with the first day of Shabbat, another important celebration for anyone who adheres to Judaism.

Another important component of celebrating the New Year is cleansing from sins that were committed in the past year. This ceremony is called "Tashlikh". All Jews who observe religious traditions pass it.

To be spiritually cleansed, you need to go to any body of water, no matter what the weather is outside. Jews throw bread crumbs from their pockets into a river, lake or ice-hole. The Jews believe that in this way they are cleansed from sins by feeding them to fish.

The month from which the Jewish New Year begins is called Tishrei. The largest number of all holidays falls on this particular period. It is customary to celebrate Rosh Hashanah on Tishrei 1 and 2. After 10 days, the holy day of Yom Kippur begins - this is a special date for every Jew. The next celebration, called Sukkot, is celebrated from 15 to 21 Tishrei.

According to the Hebrew calendar, the above month includes 11 holidays. These are all days off for the Jewish people.

For how Jews celebrate the New Year, see the next video.