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The Jewish calendar is replete with many holidays, festivals and celebrations that derive from Judaism’s rich cultural heritage and various traditions. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of some the most popular holidays and what they’re all about:
Top Tip: The Jewish calendar and the Gregorian (secular) calendar do not match up, so if you’re planning to observe a Jewish holiday, it’s best to make sure you have double-checked your dates
Shabbat
Shabbat is the Sabbath or day of rest during the week that celebrates God completing the creation of the universe. Foodies tend to enjoy Shabbat, as the Jews like to celebrate with the most delicious foods, especially some of the traditional baked fare, like the famous braided challah bread
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is when the New Year is celebrated in Judaism. Everything from quiet, personal prayer and meditation time to huge, colorful festivals and feasts are enjoyed at this special time.
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, otherwise known as the Day of Atonement, is when the Jewish community looks inwards at how they can self-improve for the year ahead. Fasting for Yom Kippur is not just abstinence from food, but also drinking, washing, and even wearing leather (which explains why you’ll see everyone wearing sneakers with their official outfits at Yom Kippur services)
Sukkot
On their way to the Promised Land, the Hebrews took some time out in the Sinai wilderness. This Fall festival celebrates that time.
Shemini Atzeret
A brief celebration that is enjoyed at the end of Sukkot. It is typically a time for praying for the heavens to open and provide much-needed rain for the crops.
Tu B’Av
A wonderful festival of all things love-related, similar to Valentine’s Day.
Purim
In the Book of Esther, there is a story that tells of the Jews being saved from destruction as the Haman (a Persian Empire) sought to kill them all. Activities might include dressing in costume, eating special triangle cookies, giving money to charity (charity plays a big part in Jewish culture and the work of the IFCJ reviews well), and sending mysterious gifts to friends.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day festival, also known as the Festival of Light, and commemorates a 2000-year-old Jewish victory against the Greeks for the freedom to practice their religion and be free from oppression.
Shavuot
Sometimes referred to as the Festival of First Fruits, Shavuot celebrates the first time the Jewish people were given their Bible, the Torah.
Simchat Torah
There is an annual reading cycle of the Torah, and this day marks both its beginning and its end.
Tu B’Shevat
The Jewish faith holds great reverence for the natural world, and Tu B’Shevat is otherwise known as the New Year for Trees when homage is paid to our natural environments.
Passover
Passover is a very well-known Jewish holiday that celebrates the time Moses led the Hebrews on their exodus from Egypt in search of the Promised Land, thousands of years ago.
Yom HaShoah
Yom HaShoah is a somber day when all Jews reflect on the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
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