Rosh Hashanah translates as the “beginning of the year”.
The holiday will begin on Sunday, September 9 and end on the evening of Tuesday, September 11.
The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, which means “day of shouting or blasting”.
The holiday is the birthday of the universe, when God created Adam and Eve.
People celebrate by lighting candles in the evening and cooking sweet delicacies during the night and day.
Some of the food includes bread or apples dipped in honey or some people eat parts of the head of a fish or a ram.
A lot of communities have their own traditions, such as eating pomegranates.
Traditionally, nuts are avoided as well as vinegar-based, sharp foods such as horseradish in order to avoid a “bitter year”.
There are also prayer services including the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings.
The ram’s horn is blown 30 times following the Torah reading during morning services, and then as many as 70 extra blasts occur during and after the Musaf service.
Overall, there are 100 blasts over the course of the Rosh Hashanah morning services.
In prayer, people call the day Yom Hazikaron, which means Day of Remembrance and Yom Hadin, which translates as Day of Judgement.
This is the day when God recalls all of his creations and determines their fate for the year.
The holiday is quickly followed by Yom Kippur 10 days later and is part of the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe or High Holidays).
What does Shabat Shalom mean in Hebrew?
Shabbat Shalom translates as “Sabbath of peace” in modern Hebrew.
Other greetings include the traditional Yiddish greeting of Ashkenazi Jews, “Gut Shabbos” which means “Good Sabbath”.
This greetings is often said instead of “hello” and “goodbye”.
On the Saturday night, people say “Shavua tov” or “Gut voch”, both of which mean “good week” in Hebrew and Yiddish respectively.