Do Israel Celebrate New Year? And how exactly? In this amazing and mysterious country they celebrate it three times, and these are completely independent holidays.
Jewish or religious New Year is called Rosh Hashanah, its date is determined by the Jewish calendar. As a rule, the celebration falls on September or October and directly depends on the lunar calendar. According to the Torah, it was on this day that God created the world, which is why time is counted from it. The annual reckoning, generally accepted in the world, lags behind the Jewish one by 3761 (that is, 5778 Jewish years came in 2017). All Jews believe that on the first day of the New Year, God evaluates the work of all those who live on earth that they completed during the year, and decides on plans for the coming year. Therefore, they say prayers and observe certain rituals, including gastronomic ones.
In January or February, the country celebrates Tu B'Shvat - this is another New Year, only it is dedicated to Trees. It is customary to plant green plants and arrange lush feasts, the main dishes of which are vegetables and fruits.
The tradition of celebrating the European New Year came to Israel thanks to immigrants from the CIS countries and Europe.
The article will discuss the features of the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the traditions and customs associated with it.
Jewish New Year: date
In Israel, the holiday is called Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew (רושה שנה). Literally translated - "head of the year." How and when is the New Year celebrated in Israel? Celebrate its first and second day of the Jewish month of Tishri. Torah requires strict traditions to be observed only on the first day.
The holiday falls on either September or October, is calculated according to the lunar calendar, so the dates are different every year. The main rule is that it is celebrated on the new moon. From this day begins the new Jewish year.
Rosh Hashanah is the most important Jewish holiday. Its characteristic feature is the use of a shofar for invoking a moleben. This sound is interpreted as a call to the Judgment of the Lord and a call to repentance.
Repentance
The name of the holiday first appears in the Mishnah (as the oral Torah is called). It is also called Yom Troy, this name is associated with a special commandment, which is attributed to this day: to make a trumpet sound.
According to tradition, in the new year in Israel, synagogues must blow the shofar (a wind musical instrument created from a ram’s horn). This sound calls all believers to rethink all their sins, repentance, the kindness of all thoughts and calls all people to the Judgment of God.
"Shofar" means "improvement, correction." The trumpet tradition has been preserved since ancient times, the horn itself symbolizes the ram that Abraham sacrificed. Therefore, this sound is very important and has symbolic significance during the period when the New Year is celebrated in Israel.
In addition, it is believed that on the first day of the holiday God created Adam, who later committed a sin and was expelled from Paradise. Since that time, the Almighty on this day performs the judgment on people and determines their fate for the next year.
All Jews believe that in heaven it is decided who and how will live in the coming year: in abundance or in poverty, in illness or health, in happiness or in grief. It is on this day that the Almighty decides who dies and who lives.
Therefore, a month before the New Year in the synagogues they read special prayers of repentance - “Silence”, they help prepare the soul for the New Year and for the Court of God.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of spiritual rebirth and repentance, a time of apology and forgiveness. Immediately after the onset of the holiday, a period begins (10 days) during which you can change your fate. It ends with a strict fast called Redemption Day or Yom Kippur.
These days, people wish each other "God's Sentence."
Day of Atonement
Celebrated on the 10th day of Tishrei, the first month of the Jewish calendar. This day recalls the events that happened 33 centuries ago, during the stay of the Jewish people in the desert. They committed a grave sin by creating a golden idol. God was very angry with them and decided to destroy, and instead create a new one, whose ancestor was to be Moses.
In Judaism, this is the most important holiday, which ends ten days of humility and repentance. The fate of man is a foregone conclusion a year in advance.
Traditions
The New Year in Israel, like the rest of the holidays, begins with the sunset. In the houses of the mistress, candles are lit, the heads of families perform the “kiddush” (consecration ceremony that is held over a glass of red wine), after which everyone wishes each other a “Positive sentence” and be inscribed in the “Book of Life” (that is, life in the new year).
Then everyone sits down at the festive table, on which the “simanim” (symbols) are sure to be present. This is a set of traditional products that symbolize certain wishes and requests to the Lord God, the purpose of this is to start a new life (new year) with good signs.
The meal concludes with words of gratitude to God for the food, Israel, Jerusalem and all the good things that he sends to people every day.
In the synagogue
Particularly solemn prayer service is held in the morning on the first day of the holiday, during which they blow the shofar several times, and all people listen attentively to this sound. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Saturday, they don’t blow the horn, as this action falls into the “Forbidden” category (in Israel, Saturday is a holy day, many of which are forbidden to be performed, for example, driving a car, lighting a stove, cleaning) A person should devote the Sabbath to God and prayer.
On a holiday, a Torah scroll is brought into the synagogue hall, on which they read the sacred words dedicated to Rosh Hashanah, and then read an excerpt from the Book of the Prophets.
In the second half of the first day of the holiday, many Jews go to a flowing natural reservoir and throw crusts of bread into the water, which symbolize sins.
These days greet each other, saying: "Shana Tova, " which translates as "Have a good year."
Dishes
In the very first meal of the New Year, a number of customs are observed. At the very beginning, bread is dipped in honey, then a piece of apple is dipped there and a wish is said for a “happy and sweet year”.
It is customary to put a lamb or fish head on the table, the first symbolizes a lamb, which Abraham sacrificed instead of his son, to eat a fish head on this day promises to "be the head, most important, successful."
Vegetables and fruits must be present at the festive table - so that the year is rich and fruitful. Be sure to cut the carrots in circles, it resembles coins in color and shape - this is a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
On the table on the holiday should be present pomegranate, it is a symbol of wealth and unity of the family, fertility and procreation.
On this day, many dishes are prepared that are symbols of a “happy and rich” year.
Holiday prayers
Jewish holiday prayers are called "Machzor" (cycle, cycle). On this day, both ordinary (Amida, Shema, Israel) and special sacred texts are read. Special prayers contain 5 Jewish texts that mention God as the King, 10 texts that mention God as the one who remembers everything, 10 texts that mention the shofar (the main attribute of the holiday).
Shofar
The biblical name for the festival is “Trumpet Sound Day”. The main commandment on this day is to listen to the shofar being trumpeted. The voice of this instrument is similar to the cry of a child, it symbolizes the cry of the soul, which is turned to the Lord and awakens a person to repentance.
Sounds made to listen to standing. They unite all the Jews into a single nation, which faces the Almighty in Judgment.
This is all related to the celebration of the Jewish New Year in Israel. How is secular New Year's holiday (European) celebrated and generally celebrated?
