Judaism: Festivals and Holy Days

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Judaism Festivals and Holy Days
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High Holy Days

• Rosh Hashanah
• Days of Repentance
• Yom Kippur

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Rosh Hashanah

• Time of Year September
• Reason for Holy Day
• The head of the Year (New Year)
• Celebrates both remembrance and the birthday of
  the world
• Customs
• Traditional Jews will wear white as a symbol of
  cleansing
• Begins 10 Days of repentance which will end with
  Yom Kippur
• The shofar (rams horn) is blown
• Begins at sunset with a candle lighting at sunset
  and a blessing
• Food Eaten
• Bread or fruit in honey as a wish for a sweet
  year
• Fish

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Days of Repentance

• Time of Year
• 10 Days following Rosh Hashanah in September
• Reason for Holy Day
• God judges humanity during this time
• Ask for forgiveness for sins
• Customs
• Orthodox Jews observe ritual kaparot/expiation
  using live chickens
• Light candles in memory of departed family
  members
• Will not wear leather shoes as respect for not
  wearing the skin of any of the creators
  creatures.
• Food Eaten
• Day before Yom Kippur Jews will eat a big meal in
  preparation for a fast the next day

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Yom Kippur

• Time of Year 10 Days after Rosh Hashanah in
  September
• Reason for Holy Day
• Most holy day of the year White Sabbath Day
  of Atonement
• Males over the age of 13 and females over the age
  of 12 will fast for
• Penance for wrong doing
• Display of self discipline
• Customs
• Focus on spiritual not material things
• Will not have sexual relations, wash body (other
  than eyes and fingers) or wear any lotions or
  cosmetics

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Pilgrim Festivals

• Passover
• Shavuot
• Sukkot

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Pesakh/Passover

• Time of Year March/April
• Reason for Festival
• Reminder of Jewish history of slavery/freedom
  exile/home
• Customs
• After 10 plagues, Jews had little time to flee
  Egypt (not time to let the bread rise)
• All grains and breads are cleaned from the house
  house is cleaned top to bottom
• Later, bread will be hidden throughout the house
  and family must go on a silent search to find it
  collected and burned
• Food Eaten
• Next day, will eat unleavened bread Matzah to
  become humble
• Followed by Seder Feast

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Shavuot/Pentecost

• 50 days later after Passover
• Time of Year May/June
• Reason for Festival
• Counting of the Omer an offering brought to the
  priests in Jerusalem
• Customs
• A seven week period of mourning no weddings or
  celebrations
• Considered a bridge between celebrating freedom
  from slavery and the establishment of Jewish Law
  when Moses brought the Israelites to Sinai and
  received the Torah.
• Celebrate first harvest but also study of the
  Torah

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Sukkot/Booths

• Time of Year September 5 days after Yom Kippur
• Reason for Festival
• make a Harvest offering (tied to Exodus and
  agricultural cycle)
• Customs
• Will build a Sukkah a small building of woven
  materials that has a trellis so when inside you
  can see the stars represents the 40 years after
  Exodus from Egypt when Jews wandered homeless and
  the 2 millennia of the Diaspora (temporary
  house). Try to eat and sleep in the structure

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Other Important Festivals

• Hanukkah
• Purim

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Hanukkah

• Time of Year November/December
• Reason for Celebration Celebration of the
  Maccabees (The Hammers), who engaged in civil war
  against Hellenized Syrians between 165-163 B.C.E.
  and liberated the Jews
• Eventually drove Syrians out of Israel and
  cleansed the Temple
• Customs
• Lighting of the Hanukiyah (Menorah)
• Food Eaten
• Latkes potato and onion fried in oil (in honour
  of the sacred oil lamps)

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Purim

• Time of Year February March
• Reason for Celebration
• Spring festival
• At the heart of Purim is the story of Esther,
• Purim means lots casting of lots to pick a
  day for massacre by Haman
• Custom
• People dress up in costumes and go to synagogue,
  perform plays
• Food Eaten
• Triangular pastries