Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the start of the new year and will begin Friday September 15, 2023.
The holiday calls for a period of reflection but how can it be celebrated?
Rosh Hashanah, translating as 'Head of the Year' in Hebrew, is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days and ends with Yom Kippur.
During this period, Jewish people think about the previous year and how they conducted themselves and ask for forgiveness for any wrongs.
A flexible holiday the calendar is Lunar-based, not Gregorian, meaning that the date can change each year and for 2023 it begins on September 15.
Here are some ways to celebrate at home:
1. Light Candles and Women's Prayer
The holiday begins in a typically Jewish way, with the women of the household lighting candles before speaking two blessings.
The two recitals are dedicated to God and dates back thousands of years to the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah.
In the tradition, Sarah would light Shabbat candles which would burn all week long until the following Friday. It is said to show the holy environment she created in her household. The woman of the home then pray, praising God and add their personal hopes for their family.
2. Greetings
It is customary to greet people with blessings and good will for the upcoming year.
On the first night of the celebration, Jewish people wish: "For a good year may you be inscribed and sealed." It is also customary to wish each other 'Ketivah v'Chatima Tova', but some simply opt for 'Shana Tova'.
3. Holiday foods
Friends and family celebrate together after time at the synagogue. It's tradition to prepare meals, a nice table and to wear nice clothes.
Some common foods and drinks are: round challah bread dipped into honey with a prayer called Kiddush said over wine or grape juice.
4. Simanim
Simanim are foods that are thought to evoke hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Often used is the sweetness of fruit such as apples, to symbolise a sweet new year and are traditionally consumed prior to the first meal.
Apples are said with two blessings: 'Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree' prior to eating, and after: May it be Your will, Hashem, our God and the God of our forefathers, that You renew for us a good and a sweet new year.
Fish also includes a prayer: 'May it be Your will, Hashem our God and the God of our forefathers, that we be fruitful and multiply like fish'.
5. Taschlich
This custom takes place on the first day, or second if the first day lands on Shabbat, and sees Jewish people walk to a body of water such as a stream or pond. There they symbolically cast away their sins.
The tradition dates to the middle ages and is linked to the ancient Kings of Israel, who were crowned next to water. Water is said to represent the Torah and the act should be done after Rosh Hashanah and before Sukkot.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3RnJhnm5%2BifKa6jqWgn52jqcatsY6wpquklGK7psPSaGlpamNkfXp7kGxmb21gZq6jrsBtbWpuY5uDeHyScZltbZFpe6nAzKU%3D