Yehojanan Skarbnik from Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico blows his Shofar Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, to start the two days of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. A small group from Mexico met up with their US counterparts at International Boundary No. 1 at the intersection of Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua to sing and blow the shofar.

Rosh Hashanah begins Wednesday what to know about the Jewish new year

Celebrated in deep-rooted custom and symbolic meals, Rosh Hashanah begins with the setting of the solar on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and ends at dusk on Friday, Oct. 4.

Rosh Hashanah, which suggests “Head of the Yr” in Hebrew, is the start of the Jewish New Yr. It’s the first of the Excessive Holidays or “Days of Awe,” ending ten days later with Yom Kippur.

The standard technique to want somebody a Pleased New Yr in Hebrew is by saying “Shana Tova.” In Hebrew, this implies “A Good Yr,” in accordance with the Previous Farmer’s Almanac.

Here is what to know concerning the vacation:

When is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday and continues via Friday night.  

The celebration of the brand new yr is the one Jewish vacation two days lengthy, each inside and outdoors Israel. It’s referred to as yoma arichta, or “a protracted day,” as a result of the 48-hour celebration could also be one prolonged day.  

Why is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?  

Rosh Hashanah is commonly handled as a time to replicate on the earlier yr and give attention to hopes for the approaching yr, in accordance with Jordan Rosenblum, the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism and Max and Frieda Weinstein-Bascom Professor of Jewish Research on the College of Wisconsin-Madison.  

Rosh Hashanah can also be vital for some Jewish folks as a celebration of humanity’s creation. It could be known as the “birthday of the world,” marking the time when God created Adam and Eve—or when the breath of life entered them. 

How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?  

Many Jewish folks will attend providers at synagogues and different areas for worship on Rosh Hashanah. Jewish congregations will recite particular prayers and songs to mark the brand new yr.  

Some Jewish communities will blow a Shofar, a curved ram’s horn.  

Some Jews may additionally pray close to a physique of water in a Tashlich ceremony, tossing items of bread or different meals into the water to represent washing away sins. 

Rosh Hashanah Meals

Meals performs a big function within the Rosh Hashanah custom. Listed here are a few of the most conventional, in accordance with the Previous Farmer’s Almanac:

  • Apples dipped in honey (eaten on the primary evening)
  • Spherical challah (egg bread) dipped in honey and sprinkled with raisins.
  • A brand new seasonal fruit (on the second evening).
  • Pomegranates
  • The pinnacle of a fish (or ram) asking God that within the coming yr we be “a head and never a tail.”

USA As we speak contributed to this story.