Knowra Jewish holidays Jewish holidays Jewish holidays are days and periods observed according to the Jewish calendar through worship, rest, remembrance, fasting, or celebration. Their practices draw on biblical commandments, rabbinic tradition, and communal custom.
Hebrew calendar : A lunisolar calendar used to determine Jewish months, years, and festivals. Its months set the dates of holidays, while intercalation keeps festivals in their seasons.
Rosh Hashanah : The Jewish New Year, observed on the first and second days of Tishrei. It opens the High Holy Days with prayer, reflection, and the sounding of the shofar.
Seder : A ritual meal held on Passover that recounts the Exodus through readings, foods, and questions. It turns the holiday’s story into a structured household ritual.
Three Pilgrimage Festivals : Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, the biblical festivals associated with pilgrimage to Jerusalem. These three festivals form a foundational group within the annual holiday cycle.
Minor Jewish holidays : Jewish observances outside the major biblical festivals and High Holy Days, including Hanukkah and Purim. They have distinctive histories and obligations, rather than the full status of biblical festivals.
Shabbat : Judaism’s weekly day of rest, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall. Its pattern of sacred rest shapes the restrictions and rhythms of several holidays.
Yom Kippur : The Jewish Day of Atonement, marked by fasting, prayer, and repentance. Its solemn fast contrasts with the feasting and celebration of many other holidays.
Shofar : A horn, usually made from a ram’s horn, sounded during Jewish ritual. Its blasts are a defining sound of Rosh Hashanah and the close of Yom Kippur.
Biblical festivals : Jewish festivals commanded in the Torah, including Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Their scriptural commands establish several of Judaism’s central annual observances.
Fast of Esther : A fast observed on the day before Purim, commemorating the fast associated with Esther’s story. Its penitential observance sits immediately before Purim’s festive celebration.
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