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A Jewish holiday or Jewish Festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called Yom Tov ("good day") or chag ("festival") or ta'anit ("fast").

Outside of a Jewish context, all Jewish holidays appear to be "religious holidays" but that is not actually the case. Judaism is old enough that it is simultaneously a religion, a system of ethics, a social ideology, and a trans-national quasi-citizenship. (To be a Jew is, first, to claim ancestral citizenship - by birth or "naturalization," i.e., conversion - in the ancient tribal nations of Israel and Judah.) That is why, within Judaism, there are religious holidays, like Passover and Yom Kippur, which require abstinence from work, school, etc., and may also require fasting; and there are secular holidays, like Hanukkah and Purim which, while they may have a religious aspect or component, are festive occasions that generally reside on the secular side of Jewish history and tradition.

All Jewish holidays occur according to the Jewish Calendar. This is a luni-solar calendar in which the first day of each month correlates exactly (more or less) to the new moon, so that the middle of the month coincides with the height of the full moon. Because of its usefulness in marking the passage of time, most holidays and festivals in most traditions are traceable to cycles of the moon - especially the full moon. In Jewish as in other traditions, the oldest holidays are the ones associated with the full moon - because they are so old, they pre-date the establishment of the new moon as the key date of the month on the Jewish Calendar. The other key time markers commemorated by holidays are solstices and equinoxes, but as Jewish holidays have long been codified to the strictly lunar months of the Jewish Calendar, these other markers have had little effect on Jewish festivals and holy days. The one important exception is the insertion of an extra lunar month in leap years, to ensure Passover happens on the first full moon following the first crescent moon of the vernal equinox.

International time measurement is per standard time zones and the Gregorian Calendar of western Europe, on which the day begins at midnight and the year is 365/366 days long. But the Jewish day begins at sunset - or for business purposes in Israel, at 6:00 PM; and the Jewish calendar is shorter or longer than the Gregorian, depending whether it is an ordinary or leap year. So, Jewish holidays straddle two (or more) dates on the Gregorian calendar, beginning the evening of the first and finishing at the evening of the last; and the dates are different every year. As they are listed on most Gregorian calendars, Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the day before the date given - much in the way that Christmas Eve (which is short for "Christmas Evening") precedes the Christian festival of Christmas Day instead of following it.

The holiest of the religious Jewish holidays are enumerated in the Torah, in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Some holidays were established by the Rabbis at the close of the ancient period of Jewish history. Modern holidays commonly observed by Jews internationally were established by the State of Israel after its establishment in 1948, though some of these - such as the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet were popularly observed by Jews for centuries before they became formal holidays.

There are also holidays associated with Jewish mysticism. The best known of these is Tu b' Shevat, the "New Year for Trees," which harkens to the days, in prehistoric and pre-Judaism, of tree magic and tree calendars. This may, in fact, be the oldest holiday celebrated by Jews. The fact it is calendared according to the full moon instead of the new moon certainly indicates it is one of the three oldest holidays on the Jewish Calendar, the other two being Passover and Sukkot.

Below is a list of major Jewish holidays. There are also many minor holidays in Judaism. Some holidays are actually combinations of holidays and festivals - such as Passover, which combines the holy day of Passover (one day) with the Festival of Unleavened Cakes (six days). Most single holidays are one day long, but some holy days, like Rosh Hashanah, are observed by some Jews for two days. Most festivals (including combinations) are seven days long, but Hanukkah is eight days.

There are a number of stories about the reasons some Jews observe Passover and Rosh Hashanah for two days when the Torah commands they are only one day. The most commonly accepted view is that Jews living in the Diaspora (i.e., outside of Israel) could not be certain they were celebrating a holy day on the same day it was observed at Jerusalem. At the time, a month began when the new moon was spotted and the Sanhedrin declared Rosh Chofesh. As it was impossible to inform all Jews in the Diaspora that a new month had begun in one day, they developed the tradition of celebrating the holy day for two consecutive days, knowing that one of the days was the correct one. After Hillel II codified the Jewish calendar into a precise mathematical system, it was decided by the Talmudic sages that due to the prevalence and age of the two-day tradition it was to continue regardless.

Another explanation is that the two-day celebrations arose as a form of evasive action, in reaction to the persecution of Jews in central and eastern Europe, and possibly under the Spanish Inquisition. The holidays affected by the convention are among the holiest days on the Jewish Calendar - Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot - so they are days on which Jews could be counted upon to congregate in large numbers in synagogues or large private homes. Thus, the holiest days of the Jewish Calendar were the easiest times of the year to persecute Jews. But if the celebrations of the holy days were divided between two days, and the authorities did not know which Jews would be celebrating the holy day on which night, capturing Jews on those nights became a harder task. Some Jews may have celebrated the holy days on differing of the two nights in different years, or on both nights, just to further the confusion among civil non-Jewish authorities about the true date.

It is also possible that both explanations are true, along with any number of other explanations, since the Jews have almost always been found in far-flung parts of the world, with any number of possibilities giving rise to certain holidays being observed for two days instead of one. What is certain is that all four of the holy days noted are officially one day on the Israeli Calendar, though there are many Israelis who do observe them for two days.

Contents

Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year

Main article: Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is set aside by the Mishna as the new year for calculating calendar years, sabbatical and jubilee years, vegetable tithes, and tree-planting (determining the age of a tree). According to Jewish legend, the creation of the world was completed on Tishri 1. This holiday is characterized by the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn. The practice of Tashlikh, the symbolic casting away of sins by throwing either stones or bread crumbs into the waters, occurs during the afternoon of the first day. Rosh Hashanah is always observed as a two-day holiday, both inside and outside the boundaries of Israel. The two days are considered together to be a yoma arichta, a single "long day".

Aseret Yemei Teshuva - Ten Days of Repentance

Main article: Ten Days of Repentance
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are ten days, known as Aseret Yemei Teshuva. During this time it is "exceedingly appropriate" for Jews to practice "Teshuvah" which is, examining one's ways, and engaging in Repentance and the improvement of their ways in anticipation of Yom Kippur. This repentence can take the form of early morning prayers, which capture the penitential spirit appropriate the occasion, fasting, or self-reflection.

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement

Main article: Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is considered by Jews to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation. Eating, drinking, bathing, and conjugal relations are prohibited. Fasting begins at sundown, and ends after nightfall the following day. Yom Kippur services begin with the prayer known as "Kol Nidrei", which must be recited before sunset. (Kol Nidrei, Aramaic for "all vows," is a public annullment of religious vows made by Jews during the preceding year. It only concerns unfilled vows made between a person and God, and does not cancel or nullify any vows made between people.)

A Tallit (four-cornered prayer shawl) is donned for evening prayers— the only evening service of the year in which this is done. The Ne'ilah service is a special service held only on the day of Yom Kippur, and deals with the closing of the holiday. Yom Kippur comes to an end with the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast. It is always observed as a one-day holiday, both inside and outside the boundaries of the land of Israel.

Contrary to popular belief, Yom Kippur is not a sad day. Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as "the White Fast".

Sukkot - Festival of Booths

Main article Sukkot
Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt) or Succoth is a 7-day festival, also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, or just Tabernacles. It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals mentioned in the Bible. The word sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew sukkah, meaning booth. Jews are commanded to "dwell" in booths during the holiday. This generally means taking meals, but some sleep in the sukkah as well. There are specific rules for constructing a sukkah.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - Rejoicing with the Law

Main article: Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה) means "rejoicing with the Torah" and takes place on the holiday of Shemini Atzeret. This holiday immediately follows the conclusion of the holiday of Sukkot. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is one day long and includes the celebration of Simchat Torah. Outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is two days long and Simchat Torah is observed on the second day.

The last portion of the Torah is read, completing the annual cycle, followed by the first chapter of Genesis. Services are especially joyous, and all attendees, young and old, are involved.

Hanukkah - Festival of Lights

Main articles: Hanukkah
The story of Hanukkah is preserved in the books of the First and Second Maccabees. These books are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), they are deuterocanonical books instead. The miracle of the one-day supply of oil miraculously lasting eight days is first described in the Talmud.

Hanukkah marks the defeat of Seleucid Empire forces that had tried to prevent the people of Israel from practicing Judaism. Judah Maccabee and his brothers destroyed overwhelming forces, and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. The eight-day festival is marked by the kindling of lights—one on the first night, two on the second, and so on—using a special candle holder called a hanukiah or a Hanukkah menorah.

With the commercialization of Christmas in the twentieth century as a time for exchanging gifts, adding to its position as the biggest holiday in the Western world, as well as the establishment of the modern state of Israel, Hanukkah began to increasingly serve both as a celebration of Israel's struggle for survival and as a December family gift-giving holiday which could function as a Jewish alternative to Christmas. However, there is a long tradition of Hanukkah as an especially joyous holiday for children.

Tu Bishvat - New year of the trees

Main article: Tu Bishvat
Tu Bishvat is the new year for trees. This day was set aside in the Mishnah as the day on which to bring fruit tithes. It is still celebrated in modern times. In the Land of Israel during the 1600s Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed and his disciples created a short seder, reminiscent of the seder that Jews observe on Passover, that explores the holiday's Kabbalistic themes.

Purim - Festival of Lots

Main article Purim
Purim commemorates the events that took place in the Book of Esther. It is celebrated by reading or acting out the story of Esther, and by making disparaging noises at every mention of Haman's name. In Purim it is a tradition to masquarade around in costumes and to give Mishloah Manot (care packages, i.e. gifts of food and drink) to the poor and the needy. In Israel it is also a tradition to arrange festive parades, known as Ad-D'lo-Yada, in the town's main street.

New Year for Kings

Ever since the Babylonian diaspora (as a result of the Babylonian captivity of Judah), only the Rosh Hashanah and Tu B'shevat are still celebrated.

Pesach - Passover

Main article: Passover
Pesach (Passover) commemorates the liberation of the Israelite slaves from Egypt. The first seder is after the 14th of Nisan since in Judaism, a day begins at nightfall, so the first seder is thus on the night of the 15th, the second seder is held on the night of the 16th of Nisan. On that night Jews start counting the omer. The counting of the omer is a counting down of the days from the time they left Egypt. until the time they arrived at Mount Sinai. No leavened food is eaten during the week of Pesach.

Karaites start the omer count on the Sunday of Passover week.

Sefirah - Counting of the Omer

Main article: Counting of the Omer
Sefirah is the 49 day ("seven weeks") period between Pesach and Shavuot; it is defined by the Torah as the period during which special offerings are to be brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. Judaism teaches that this makes physical the spiritual connection between Pesach and Shavuot.

Lag Ba'omer

Main article: Lag Ba'omer
Lag Ba'omer ( ל"ג בעומר) is the 33rd day in the Omer count (ל"ג is the number 33 in Hebrew). The mourning restrictions on joyous activities during the Omer period are lifted on Lag Ba'Omer and there are often celebrations with picnics, bonfires and bow and arrow play by children. In Israel, youth can be seen gathering materials for bonfires. Construction sites must post guards near this time.

New Israeli/Jewish national holidays

Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has established four new Jewish holidays.

These four days are national holidays in the State of Israel, and have since been accepted as religious holidays in general by the following groups: The Union of Orthodox Congregations and Rabbinical Council of America; The United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth (United Kingdom); The Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel; All of Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism; The Union for Traditional Judaism and the Reconstructionist movement.

These four new days are not accepted as religious holidays by Haredi Judaism, which includes Hasidic Judaism. These groups view these new days as Israeli national holidays, and they do not celebrate these holidays.

Yom Ha'Shoah - Holocaust Remembrance day

Main article: Yom Ha'Shoah
Yom Ha'Shoah is also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, and takes place on the 27th day of Nisan.

Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day

Main article: Yom Hazikaron
Yom Hazikaron is the day of remembrance in honor of Israeli veterans and fallen soldiers of the Wars of Israel. The Memorial Day also commemorates fallen civilians, slain by acts of hostile terrorism. [link]

Yom Ha'atzma'ut - Israel Independence Day

Main article: Yom Ha'atzma'ut
Yom Ha'atzma'ut is Israel's Independence Day. An official ceremony is held annually on the eve of Yom Ha'atzma'ut at Mount Herzl. The ceremony includes speeches by senior Israeli officials, an artistic presentation, a ritual march of flag-carrying soldiers forming elaborate structures (such as a Menorah, a Magen David and the number which represents the age of the State of Israel) and the lighting of twelve beacons (one for each of the Tribes of Israel). Dozens of Israeli citizens, who contributed significantly to the state, are selected to light these beacons.

Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day

Main article: Yom Yerushalayim
Yom Yerushalayim marks the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem and The Temple Mount under Jewish rule during the Six Day War almost 1900 years after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Shavuot - Pentecost

Main article Shavuot
Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks, is sometimes known by the Greek name "Pentecost." One of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh regalim) ordained in the Torah, Shavuot marks the end of the counting of the Omer, the period between Passover and Shavuot. According to Rabbinic tradition, the Ten Commandments were given on this day. During this holiday the Torah portion containing the Ten Commandments is read in the synagogue, and the biblical Book of Ruth is read as well. It is traditional to eat dairy meals during Shavuot.

Karaites always celebrate Shavuot on a Sunday.

The Three Weeks and the Nine Days

Main article: The three weeks
The days between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are days of mourning, on account of the collapse of Jerusalem during the Roman occupation which occurred during this time framework. Weddings and other joyful occasions are traditionally not held during this period. A further element is added within the three weeks, during the nine days between the 1st and 9th day of Av— the pious refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, except on Shabbat or at a Seudat Mitzvah (a Mitzvah meal, such as a Pidyon Haben— the recognition of a firstborn male child— or the study completion of a religious text.) In addition, one's hair is not cut during this period.

In Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has issued several responsa (legal rulings) which hold that the prohibitions against weddings in this timeframe are deeply held traditions, but should not be construed as binding law. Thus, Conservative Jewish practice would allow weddings during this time, except on the 9th of Av itself. Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism hold that halakha (Jewish law) is no longer binding, so weddings may be held on any of these days. Orthodox Judaism maintains the traditional prohibitions.

Tisha B'av - Ninth of Av

Main article Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av is a fast day, that commemorates two of the saddest days in Jewish history— the destruction of both the first Temple (587 BC) originally built by King Solomon, (see Solomon's Temple), and the Second Temple in 70 on this same date. Also on this date in 1290, King Edward I signed the edict compelling the Jews to leave England. The Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492 also occurred on this day. World War I also began on this date (which is seen as connected to World War II and the Holocaust).

Tithe of animals

This commemoration is no longer observed. This day was set up by the Mishna as the New Year for animal tithes, which is somewhat equivalent to a new year for taxes. (This notion is similar to the tax deadline in the United States of America on April 15.)

Rosh Chodesh - the New Month

The first day of each month and the thirtieth day of the preceding month, if it has thirty days, is (in modern times) a minor holiday known as Rosh Chodesh (head of the month). The one exception is the month of Tishri, whose beginning is a major holiday, Rosh Hashanah. There are also special prayers said upon observing the new Moon for the first time each month.

Shabbat - The Sabbath יום השבת

Main article: Shabbat
Jewish law accords the Sabbath the status of a holiday. Jews celebrate a Shabbat, a day of rest, on the seventh day of each week. Jewish law defines a day as ending at nightfall, which is when the next day then begins. Thus, Shabbat begins at sundown Friday night, and ends at nightfall Saturday night.

In many ways halakha (Jewish law) gives Shabbat the status of being the most important holy day in the Jewish calendar.

Variances in observances

The denominations of Reconstructionist Judaism and Reform Judaism generally regard Jewish laws (halakha) relating to all these holidays as important, but no longer binding. Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism hold that the halakha relating to these days are still normative (i.e. to be accepted as binding.)

There are a number of differences in religious practices between Orthodox and Conservative Jews, because these denominations have distinct ways of understanding the process of how halakha has historically developed, and thus how it can still develop. Nonetheless, both of these groups have similar teachings about how to observe these holidays.

See also

References

Greenberg, Irving. The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays. New York: Touchstone, 1988.

Strassfeld, Michael. The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.

External links

Jewish holidays
Shabbat | Rosh Chodesh | Rosh Hashanah | Fast of Gedalia | Yom Kippur | Sukkot | Simchat Torah | Hanukkah | Tenth of Tevet | Tu Bishvat | Fast of Esther & Purim | Fast of the firstborn | Pesach | Counting of the Omer | Lag Ba'omer | Shavuot | 17th of Tammuz, The three weeks & The nine days | Tisha B'Av | Tu B'Av

National holidays of Israel: Yom HaShoah | Yom Hazikaron | Yom Ha'atzmaut | Yom Yerushalayim


Jewish life topics
Birth: Brit milah | Zeved habat | Hebrew name | Pidyon HaBen
Coming of Age: Upsherin | B'nai Mitzvah | Wimpel | Yeshiva
Adult: Ablution in Judaism | Prayers and blessings | Grace After Meals
Marriage: Matchmaking | Role of women | Niddah | Mikvah | Tzeniut | "Get" | Feminism
Judaism : 613 commandments | Customs | Torah study: Weekly portion; Daf Yomi | Jewish holidays | Tzedakah (Charity)
Cultural: Israel | Diaspora | Immigration into Israel
Items of religious significance: Sefer Torah | Tzitzit | Tallit | Tefillin | Kippah | Menorah | Chanukkiyah | Mezuzah
Death: Chevra Kadisha | Shiv'ah | Kaddish | Tehillim | Yahrzeit | Yizkor
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