Rosh Hashanah 2025🍏😊

Today is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah which means “head of the year” and this is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar. It marks the Jewish New Year which is a time for reflection, renewal and celebration. Unlike New Year’s Day on 1 January, Rosh Hashanah follows the Hebrew Calendar which means its dates change every year. This year, it starts on the evening of Monday 22nd September and ends on the evening of Wednesday 24th September.

What Does Rosh Hashanah Symbolise?

Rosh Hashanah celebrates the creation of the world and is often seen as a chance to make a fresh start. It’s a holy day when Jewish people step away from work to focus on reflection, prayer and self examination.

It’s also considered a time of judgment. Jewish tradition teaches that God weighs a person’s good and bad deeds from the past year and based on that, decides what the coming year will hold.

During this period, people often reflect by asking themselves questions like..

• What is the most important thing in my life?
• What meaningful things did I achieve last year?
• What do I hope to achieve in the year ahead?

How Is Rosh Hashanah Celebrated?

Greeting one another with “L’shanah tovah” meaning “for a good New Year” is a core part of the holiday. Many families also spend time at the synagogue.

One of the most spectacular traditions is the blowing of the shofar which is a ram’s horn that produces a powerful sound. This is a video of shofar blowing and one hundred notes are played in a specific rhythm to mark the start of a 10 day period known as the Days of Awe. These days lead up to Yom Kippur which is the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish year.

The Foods of Rosh Hashanah

Food is very important as it plays a symbolic and delicious role in the celebrations such as..

• Apples dipped in honey represent hopes for a sweet year ahead
• Honey cake is another traditional treat
• Challah bread is baked in a round shape to symbolise the circle of life
• Pomegranates are often included too as they’re said to contain 613 seeds which is the same number as the commandments in the Torah!

If you’re celebrating Rosh Hashanah then I hope you have a happy and healthy new year 😊