Rosh Hashanah 2024: What is the Jewish New Year and when is Yom Kippur?

Jewish people all over the world are celebrating some of the most important days in the religious calendar.

Rosh Hashanah is a two-day religious festival which begins today (Wednesday, October 2) and commemorates the Jewish new Year and the creation of the world.

It marks the beginning of the High Holy Days ('Days of Awe'), a 10-day period which ends with the holiday of Yom Kippur, and is usually celebrated with prayers, candle lighting and delicious food.

A special instrument made from the horn of a kosher animal - known as a shofar - is traditionally blown during synagogue services while some usually perform the atonement ritual of tashlikh on the afternoon of the first day of celebrations.

Here is everything you need to know about the religious holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish celebration of the creation of the earth that marks the beginning of the year, and is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and therefore humanity.

Rosh Hashanah is also a judgement day, when Jews believe that God observes the good deeds over the last year against their bad deeds, and decides what the next year will be like for them.

God will then record this judgment in the Book of Life, detailing who is going to live, who is going to die, who will have a good time and who will have a bad time in the upcoming year.

The book and judgement are sealed on Yom Kippur, which marks the end of the "Days of Awe" - known as 10 days of Repentance.

This is the concept behind the traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting "Be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

When is Rosh Hashanah?

This year, Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of Wednesday, October 2. The festival will end on the evening of Friday, October 3.

The exact date varies each year as it's based on the lunar calendar, and marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year.

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the "Days of Awe."

Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, begins on Friday, October 11 and ends on the evening of Saturday, October 12.

How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?

A great deal of time may also be spent in the synagogue when there are special services that emphasise God's kinship.

One of the synagogue rituals is the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn. Hearing the shofar's call is a reminder for us to look inward and repent for the sins of the past year.

Rosh Hashanah greetings

You can wish others a Happy New Year by saying "Shana Tova", which means "good year" in Hebrew.

Sometimes people say "shanah tovah u'metukah" which literally translates to "a good and sweet new year".

In Hebrew, "Rosh Hashanah" translates to "the head of the year."

What food is eaten during Rosh Hashanah?

Food is an important part of Rosh Hashanah.

Sweet foods are often eaten as they are intended to symbolise hope for a sweet and happy year ahead, such as honey cakes and apples dipped in honey.

Apples are dipped in honey and a sweet carrot stew called a tzimmes is often served.

During Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Challah bread comes as a round loaf rather than a plaited loaf, to symbolise the continuation of life and the year ahead.

There's also often a pomegranate on the table because of a tradition that pomegranates have 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments that a Jew is obliged to keep.

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