What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur falls on the tenth day of Tishrei, the seventh Jewish month, and is considered to be the holiest date on the Jewish Calendar.
It signals the end of the High Holy Days, a sacred 10-day period of repentance that commenced with Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year.
Also known as the Sabbath of Sabbaths, Yom Kippur translates into English as ‘Day of Atonement’.
It is a time for Jewish people to gather in synagogues to pray and ask God to forgive any sins committed in the past year.
Those who can afford it are also expected to donate money to charity on Yom Kippur.
When is Yom Kippur 2017?
Yom Kippur starts at the end of the High Holy Days – the exact date of which is determined by the moon.
Judaism follow a lunar calendar so Yom Kippur shifts slightly every year.
Yom Kippur starts at sunset on Friday September 29 this year, finishing in the evening of Saturday September 30.
This year, Yom Kippur will be particularly sacred because it falls on the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat.
What happens on Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur is a day of obligatory fasting in Judaism, but great feasts take place at either side of the fast.
Fish, Challah bread and apples dipped in honey are among the traditional foods likely to be on the menu around Yom Kippur.
Most of the day will be spent with family and friends at the synagogue, where five prayer services are held: Maariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah and Neilah.
Yom Kippur is a day of reflection and atonement, though there is an undercurrent of hope and optimism for the year ahead.
Like Shabbat, is it forbidden for Jewish people to work on Yom Kippur.