A Sweet New Year Starts Together

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is a time to celebrate the birthday of the world, think about the year that passed, and make sweet wishes for the year ahead. It begins the High Holidays.

Rosh Hashanah falls on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, usually in September or early October. Like all Jewish holidays, it begins at sundown.

We dip apples in honey to wish each other a sweet new year. Many families also eat round challah, which reminds us that the year goes around in a circle. Make it a game with the Apple Taste Test.

The shofar is a ram’s horn that is blown on Rosh Hashanah. Its sound is like a wake-up call, reminding us to think about how we can be kinder and do better in the new year.

Tashlich means “casting off.” Families go to a river, lake, or other flowing water and toss in bits of bread or pebbles as a way of letting go of mistakes from the past year.

We say “Shanah tovah,” which means “a good year.” Some people say “Shanah tovah u’metukah,” a good and sweet year.

Elul is the Hebrew month before Rosh Hashanah. It is a time to slow down and think about the year. Try the free Elul Jar, a family reflection activity.

Rosh Hashanah begins the Ten Days of Awe, which end with Yom Kippur. Five days after Yom Kippur comes Sukkot, a joyful fall harvest holiday.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is a day to say sorry, forgive others, and start fresh with a kind and open heart.

Yom Kippur falls on the 10th of Tishrei, ten days after Rosh Hashanah, usually in late September or October. It begins at sundown and lasts until nightfall the next day.

Before Yom Kippur, we go to the people we may have hurt and say sorry. Making things right with each other is one of the most important parts of the holiday.

Many grown-ups do not eat or drink on Yom Kippur so they can focus on prayer and becoming better people. Children do not fast.

Many people wear white on Yom Kippur as a sign of a fresh, clean start for the new year.

Yom Kippur ends with one long blast of the shofar. Then families break the fast together, often with a happy meal.

People often say “G’mar chatimah tovah,” a wish that each person is sealed for a good year.

Five days later comes Sukkot, a joyful fall harvest holiday when families build and decorate a sukkah.