Tradition

"For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl... This shows our constant devotion to G~d. You may ask, why did this tradition get started? I'll tell you why - I don't know. But it's a tradition, and because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what G~d expects him to do" Fiddler on the Roof

Summery of every Jewish Holiday

They tried to Kill Us

We Won

Let's Eat.

Judaism has a lot of food related traditions. If there is one thing everyone can agree on, its a good meal.

Rosh Hashanah

1st and 2nd of Tishrei

Rosh Hashanah

New Year

Rosh Hashanah is when the Hebrew calendar celebrates its New Year.

Traditionally Rosh Hashanah is celebrated by enjoying apples with honey, pomegranates, honey cake, and round challah bread.

Fast of Gedaliah

3rd of Tishrei

The Fast of Gadeliah

Fast of Gehaliah mourns the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam, the righteous governor of Judea, which marked the end of Jewish self-rule and precipitated the final exile following the First Temple's destruction.

Traditionally the Fast of Gehaliah lasts from dawn to dusk rather than the longer 25 hour fast like Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur

10th of Tishrei

Yom Kippur

Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur is the holiest and most solemn day. It is a 25-hour period focused on repentance, prayer, and atonement for sins through fasting, abstaining from luxuries, wearing white, and attending synagogue services to reconcile with G~d.

Traditionally Yom Kippur's long fast is followed by a community feast that includes bagels, dairy, and fish.

Sukkot

15th - 21st of Tishrei

Sukkot

Feast of Tabernacles

Sukkot is the "festival of booths" or "tents". We build Sukkah's, temporary open roof structures, symbolizing the fragile shelters used by Israelites after the Exodus.

Traditionally Sukkot is celebrated with stuffed foods that symbolize abundance such as cabbage rolls and kreplach, but more importantly, we eat outside as many meals as possible for this week long holiday.

Hanukkah

25th of Kislev - 2nd of Tevet

Hanukkah traditions center on commemorating the miracle of the oil lasting eight days by lighting a nine-branched menorah nightly.

Traditionally Hanukkah is celebrated by eating eating oil-fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot, playing the dreidel game, and exchanging gifts.

Asarah B'Tevet

10th of Tevet

Asarah B'Tevet

Asarah B'Tevet is a fasting day marking the start of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, leading to the First Temple's destruction.

Traditionally the Asarah B'Tevet lasts from dawn to dusk rather than the longer 25 hour fast like Yom Kippur.

Tu Bishvat

15th of Sh'vat

Tu BiShvat

New Year for Trees

TuBishvat marks the season when the earliest-blooming trees in Israel emerge from winter slumber to begin a new fruit-bearing cycle

Traditionally it is customary to eat fruits, specifically the "Seven Species," such as grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.

Fast of Esther and Purim

13th - 14th of Adar

Fast of Esther

Purim

The Fast of Esther is the day before Purim, commemorating the three-day fast undertaken by Queen Esther and the Jewish people to avert annihilation in Persia.

Traditionally the Fast of Esther is observed from dawn to dusk the day before Purim. Traditionally Purim is celebrated with enjoying Hamantaschen, three-cornered, filled pastries representing "Haman's pockets" or ears.

Passover

14th - 21st of Nisan

Passover

Pesach

Passover is an 8 day holiday commemorating the exodus from Egypt. We refrain from eating all foods with leavening in them during this holiday.

Traditionally Passover is celebrated with a Seder that includes charoset, matzah, and matzo ball soup. We refrain from all leavened foods, any food with yeast extract, as well as Lamb. There's quite a lot of info on Passover, we encourage further research than I can provide here.

Shavuot

After the Counting of the Omar

Shavuot

Feast of Weeks

Shavuot commemorates the pinnacle of the Exodus experience, where the Israelites received the Ten Commandments, establishing a binding covenant with God.

It is traditional to eat dairy heavy meals and desserts such as cheesecake to symbolize "milk and honey."

Shiva Asar B'Tammuz

17th of Tamuz

Shiva Asar B'Tammuz

Shiva Asar B'Tammuz marks the breach of Jerusalem's walls by the Romans, beginning a three-week mourning period for the Holy Temples that ends with Tisha B'Av.

Traditionally Shiva Asar B'Tammuz lasts from dawn to dusk rather than the longer 25 hour fast like Yom Kippur.

Tisha B'Av

9th of Av

Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av is the saddest day of the year, a day of mourning to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem

This is another 25 hour fast lasting from dusk to dusk like Yom Kippur. Be sure to prep beforehand.

Megillat Taanit

"These are the days on which one is not allowed to fast, and on some of them it is not permitted to mourn."

The Scroll of Fasting

This is an ancient text, in the form of a chronicle, which lists eventful days on which Jews either performed glorious deeds or witnessed joyful events therefore fasting on these days is prohibited.

After the destruction of the second temple, all but Purim and Hanukkah were removed from this list. This list is included for anyone who is interested in following a more historically and traditionally safe day to fast.

Adar: 7th (Nicanor Day/execution of a Roman official), 8-9th (completion of the Temple), 12th (Yom Turyanus/traitor's death), 13th (Nicanor Day), 14-15th (Purim), 28th (announcement against studying Torah, 28th/29th - Hadrian's persecution ceased).
Nisan: 8th–21st (prohibition to mourn, Pharisaic victory over Boethusians regarding counting the Omer).
Iyyar: 7th (dedication of Jerusalem's wall), 14th (Second Passover), 23rd (leaving of the Akra/fortress).
Sivan: 14th (capture of Sher Tower), 15-16th (exile of people of Beth Shean), 25th (tax collectors left Jerusalem).
Tammuz: 4th (removal of a book of decrees/prohibition against studying Torah), 17th (removal of a wall-building decree).
Av: 15th (Xylophoria/wood offering celebration), 24th (return to the law).
Elul: 7th (dedication of the wall), 17th (Romans evacuated).
Tishrei: 3rd (removal of icons from the Temple).
Kislev: 7th (day of the Hasmoneans), 25th (Hanukkah).
Tevet: 28th (Sanhedrin returned).
Shevat: 2nd (festival, no eulogies).