Rosh Hashanah date: When is Rosh Hashanah? When does Rosh Hashanah start and end?

Rosh Hashanah is the name for the celebration of Jewish New Year and is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the first of what is known as High Holidays or High Holy Days, a ten-day stretch which culminates in Yom Kippur. During Rosh Hashanah, Jews from around the world celebrate God’s creation of the world.

When does Rosh Hashanah start, when does it end?

Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration and starts on the first day of the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year – also known as Tishrei.

The celebration marks the beginning of the civil year according to the teaching of Judaism.

This year, Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of Sunday, September 29 and will end in the evening of Tuesday, October 1.

As well as the beginning of the civil year, Rosh Hashanah also marks the anniversary of the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, according to the Hebrew Bible.

This is the inauguration of humanity into God’s world.

Read More: Rosh Hashanah greetings in Hebrew: How to celebrate Jewish New Year

How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?

Holiday traditions vary around the world and from family to family, but typically a special prayer service is held at synagogues.

During the Rosh Hashanah service, a traditional instrument made from the horn of a kosher animal – usually a ram – is blown.

Another feature of Rosh Hashanah is a charity or giving to those who are in need and this is known as tzedakah.

During Rosh Hashanah, good deeds are carried out in the hope of God sealing the names of those undertaking them in the “Book of Life” which would then ensure a happy year to come.

One important aspect of Rosh Hashanah celebrations is the food, which is often shared and special meals included as blessings.

During the holiday, sweet foods are eaten to secure a sweet new year, as well as fruit such as pomegranates which have recently come into season.

Often the head of a fish is served to remind those celebrating to be like the head and not the tail – which means to be leaders rather than followers.

Greetings for Rosh Hashanah

If you would like to wish somebody a happy Jewish New Year, you can say “L’Shanah Tovah” which is Hebrew for “A Good Year.”

You can also say “Shanah Tovah um’tukah” which means “May you have a good and sweet new year.”

A more formal greeting is “L’shanah Tovah tikateivu v’teichateimu”, which means “A good year, and may you be inscribed and sealed (for blessing in the Book of Life).”

Source: Read Full Article