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Jewish Holidays: Times For Celebration And Observance
Many Americans are not very familiar with the most popular Jewish holidays in our country: indeed, they are often the source of a great deal of confusion in the Christian and non-religious communities. For example, Christmas occurs every December 25, but Jewish holidays seem to come on different days every year.
This is because Judaism has its own calendar, and the days of observance will vary from year to year. Unlike the standard calendar, it is a lunar rather than a solar one, and some holidays will vary its timing by up to 2 months over the year before.
-- Passover begins on the first full moon in the month of April and lasts up to eight days. It commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt after hundreds of years in captivity. Traditionally, the holiday is marked with a "seder" dinner.
A passage from a book called the Passover Haggadah is read at the table, and the family will eat traditional foods such as: haroset (a blend of fruit and nuts which commemorates the mortar used to build the Egyptian pyramids); gefilte fish (a symbol of good luck); matzo ball soup (balls are made without flour to commemorate unleavened bread made in haste during the Exodus); this is just the beginning of a long list of foods that have a lot of symbolic meaning.
Most Jews will eat unleavened bread during the entire length of the Passover celebration.
-- Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebration, marked by the lunar calendar, and always occurs in the fall months. This holiday is observed by going to synagogue, contemplating the past year and making plans for the new one. It is celebratory, to be sure, but not rowdy like most traditional new year parties.
-- Yom Kippur starts shortly after Rosh Hashanah, and it is a time of atonement and repentance. Jews will pray to God for forgiveness for the sins they have committed during the past year. The feature that really stands out about this holiday is that devout Jews will fast for a full 25 hours to show their contrition, to purify, and to aid in their atonement process. A large, leisurely family dinner usually precedes the beginning of the fast, and synagogue attendance is expected.
-- Chanukah, also called the Festival of Lights, falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem centuries ago, when the little bit of oil available to light the temple's candles miraculously lasted for a full eight days.
Families will light one candle at home each day for eight days in remembrance. Unlike Christmas, it is not a time for gifts. Traditions do include playing with a dreidal (a Jewish toy like a spinning top) for chocolate coins and eating potato pancakes.
Observant Jews are likely to take days off of work or school in order to properly celebrate some of the above named holidays. They are times to be with family, observe ages-old traditions, and carry on the religious rituals of ancestors.
About the Author If you are interested in tips and ideas for strengthening your eternal Jewish family, contact the good people at Eternal Jewish Family (http://hubpages.com/hub/Converting-to-the-Orthodox-Jewish-Faith). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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