Jewish Customs: All you need to know about Rosh Hashanah Celebrations and Greetings

Rosh Hashanah festivities are a celebration of various Jewish customs and practices. The main custom of the festival is that of forgoing the past sins and making new pledges of staying true to humanity

Outlook International Desk

Updated on: 16 September 2023 9:52 am

A person blows the shofar.

Rosh Hashanah signifies the commencement of the Jewish New Year and marks the start of the "High Holidays," a ten-day period of introspection and repentance culminating in Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Understanding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah is a time for Jewish people worldwide to seek forgiveness for past transgressions and pledge not to repeat them in the forthcoming year. Following Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, arrives. This day involves fasting and extended deep prayer, concluding with the sound of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn, which is said to be a calling out to God.

Dates for 2023

This year in 2023, Rosh Hashanah commenced at sunset on Friday, September 15, and concludes at sunset on Sunday, September 17. Subsequently, Yom Kippur will commence on the evening of Sunday, September 24, and end the evening of Monday, September 25.

Rosh Hashanah Celebrations

Rosh Hashanah festivities are a celebration of various Jewish customs and practices. Many people attend services at a temple or synagogue, where special prayers imbued with messages of hope and atonement for the new year are offered.

The shofar, a hollowed-out ram's horn, is blown during these services, acting as a spiritual wake-up call, urging the congregation to return to God and reflect on their sins.

An essential facet of Rosh Hashanah is Tzedakah, or charitable giving. By performing good deeds and giving to those in need, it is believed that individuals invite blessings for a fruitful new year. Another symbolic tradition that has been rooted for centuries involves casting bread crumbs into bodies of water, signifying the shedding of sins.

Greetings on the auspicious day

As Rosh Hashanah heralds the Jewish New Year, the most prevalent greeting is "Happy New Year." In Hebrew, this translates to "Shanah tovah" (pronounced shah-NAH toe-VAH), literally meaning "good year."

A longer version of this greeting is "L’shana tovah u’metukah," signifying "for a good and sweet year." Additionally, "chag sameach" (pronounced KHAHG sah-MEY-akh), which translates to "happy festival," is another heartfelt way to extend greetings during this auspicious time.
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