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There are so many Jewish holidays that there's practically one for every month of the Jewish year. Some, like Pesach or Chanukah, are well known. Others, like Asara B'Tevet or Tu B'Av, a lot of people have never heard of. Still, each holiday has its own special message for Jews everywhere. Besides, they can be a lot of fun to celebrate.
Minhagim (Customs): One reason the holidays are so much fun is because they each have their own minhagim and traditions; every holiday is different, and there's always something new to do. Some minhagim go back thousands of years and are written down in the Torah. Others are very new minhagim that are just starting out. Every country and even every family has its own minhagim, and you can even make up your own minhagim for your favorite holidays. Who knows? Maybe in a hundred years, everyone will be doing some of the minhagim that you started.
Jewish calendar: All the Jewish holidays are celebrated
on their dates according to the Jewish calendar. Like the Gregorian
calendar (the calendar we normally use), the Jewish calendar also
has twelve months - Tishrei, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shvat, Adar,
Nisan Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, and Elul - although sometimes, during
leap years, an extra month called Adar Bet is added after Adar. Moon: Rosh Hodesh is celebrated for one or two days,
depending on the length of the preceding month. If it’s 29 days, Rosh
Hodesh is celebrated on the first day of the new month; if it’s 30
days, it is celebrated on the last day of the old month and the first
day of the new month. Rosh Hodesh was once a very important holiday
in the Temple. Today we remember Rosh Hodesh by saying special prayers
and reading the Torah in the synagogue. Bonfire: As soon as people far away saw the bonfire announcing the new month they would also light bonfires on top of mountains. In a few hours there would be a chain of bonfires stretching all the way from Jerusalem to Babylonia and all the Jews would know that it was Rosh Hodesh. |
The
Gregorian calendar is based on the time it takes for the Earth to
orbit the sun - 365 days. The Jewish calendar is based on how long
it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth - about 29 or 30 days. Since
twelve months of 29 to 30 days doesn’t equal a year, within a few
years the holidays would be celebrated in different seasons. That’s
why, in ancient times, the sages decided to add an extra leap month
every few years - so Chanukah always comes out in winter and Pesach
always comes out in the spring.