The Complete Jewish Calendar: Festivals, Fasts, and Celebrations

Much like every other ethnic group, the Jewish people enjoy passionate celebrations of their culture with a wide variety of holidays throughout the calendar year, ranging from religious to heritage-based festivities. Because Jewish communities are often large in size and tight in relationships, these lifestyle traditions are embedded in society and are looked forward to by many. Holidays are times of coming together, embracing spirituality, and valuing cultural customs that have given way to the unique identity of the Jewish people.

The Historical Origins of Jewish Holidays

There are quite a few different Jewish holiday observances, and all come with their own unique facets and history. Many of these are known and acknowledged throughout the Western world, with Hanukkah probably being the one most people are familiar with. Its origins date back to the second century, in which the then-Maccabean population revolted against the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire to reclaim the Second Temple, which became an iconic hub in the development of the Jewish faith.

Other October Jewish holidays largely focus on Biblical texts, and the Hebrew calendar is a special religious device used to track many of the traditional celebrations revolving around things like harvests because they use both a solar and lunar calendar. This includes Passover, which is taken from an ancient custom of sacrificing a lamb and using its blood above your door in order to secure protection from the oncoming plague. Today, its Passover Seder still plays an instrumental role in families coming together over God’s liberation of the Israelites in the Book of Exodus while simultaneously enjoying an extravagant feast.

Rosh Hashanah is another pivotal day in the Jewish holiday calendar because it marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It also begins a 10-day period of repentance, as called for each year in the Torah. This stretch is complete in the celebration of Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day in all of Judaism. This specific day of atonement focuses greatly on the confession of sin, and usually involves a boisterous ceremony at synagogue, with a deep prayer session. The expectations of spiritual transparency during these two High Holy Days are said to determine God’s fate for the Jewish person in the oncoming year, according to the Book of Life.

Traditional Foods of Jewish Holidays

Every holiday comes with its own customary food items, and Jewish celebrations are no different. And with an ancient culture so historically involved with farming, it’s not a surprise that bread and grain-forward pastries lead the way in culinary creations. Because bread has such a significant connotation in the Bible, Jewish people typically baked homemade unleavened charoset or matzo to promote its symbolism during holidays like Passover.

During Hanukkah, you may come across potato pancakes called latkes or jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot, which are both celebratory treats emblematic of the indulgence usually seen in any holiday. Challah is another bread variation that’s usually braided in shape and can often be accompanied by sweet fruits such as apples that may also be adorned with honey for the ultimate savory taste. Not only will these often be eaten in celebratory settings, but they are favorites when it comes time to break a fast.

Jewish Holiday Celebrations Around the World

Because the Jewish people have relocated to all areas of the globe, traditions will certainly vary between the different sects, whether they’re a part of the Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, or Sephardic communities, as well as the geographic location in which they live. Whether you’re Reformed, Orthodox, or Reconstructionist, your surrounding synagogue and Hebrew community will largely dictate what each individual celebration looks like, but you’ll also have the freedom to celebrate the way you choose within your home.

Where you live will dictate the strength of the surrounding Jewish community around you, but lots of foreign countries outside of Israel and other Eastern European nations have a strong Jewish presence of their own, and it can usually be found through local Jewish community centers. Because the universal need to attend synagogue exists beyond borders, it can be a great starting place to meet like-minded individuals and get in touch with other spiritual individuals.

The Role of Prayer in Jewish Holidays

Prayer is crucial to Judaism, just as it is in any of the other major religions. In fact, Jewish people often pray up to three times a day, with a fourth being implemented during the Shabbat holiday each week, all of which involve reciting the Amidah. The Shema Yisrael is another one of the most common prayers recited from the Torah, which cites Deuteronomy, claiming, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God! The Lord is One!” Prayers and benedictions can often look different depending on the different subsets of Judaism, as well as how devout you consider your personal faith. However, there is a strong emphasis on solitary prayer, while communal prayer is deemed a ritualistic practice in groups such as the Orthodox.

Modern Interpretations of Jewish Holidays

In today’s society, Judaism and the celebration of Hebrew holidays have evolved greatly into a number of cross-cultural variations. Because there are so many more interpretive versions of the historical celebrations, the practice of reciting prayers, active repentance, and joining together for family meals are still focal during the holidays, no matter how traditional or modern your household looks. Here are a few ways these heartfelt customs are shared today.

The Significance of the Jewish Lunar Calendar

As we mentioned earlier, the Hebrew calendar is much more intricate than the common Gregorian calendar much of the world follows today. However, October Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur represent totally different New Year celebrations as far as the time of year is concerned since it’s typically quite busy with back-to-school and other fall activities. Not only is there such a dependence on the sun and moon to dictate when each holiday will fall, but it’s important to also know which parts of the Torah to read and when, where each Psalm is appropriate, how to date the death of relatives, and other ceremonial proceedings. The Jewish calendar is about 19 days shorter than its Gregorian counterpart.

Interfaith Celebrations of Jewish Holidays

You can certainly expect many people of the more Reformed and liberal versions of Judaism to intermingle with other backgrounds, and there is absolutely no problem with that. It’s important to show acceptance and understanding for anyone of outside descent because, in the Torah, you’re supposed to welcome any outsider into your home and treat them with the utmost respect as if they were your own kin. If you happen to be blending two different forms of Jewish backgrounds, you may have to consider specific nuances to each celebration and show sincerity towards any customs you may not adhere to personally.

Jewish Holiday Attire

Some of the most common attire for Jewish holidays include the kippah and the tallit, which are the prayer cap and shawl respectively associated with worship in synagogue and many religious celebrations. Wearing white during Rosh Hashanah is also common, as is embracing the concept of modesty known as “tzniut,” which applies to all situations revolving around meaningful rituals. Certain holidays like Purim even involve dressing in costume, with the intention of remaining anonymous during the celebration being a way to rejoice in their evasion from potential annihilation in the 5th century.

The Role of Music and Songs in Jewish Holidays

You can’t really celebrate holidays correctly if you don’t have music to accompany the mood and festivities, so everything from reciting Psalms to uttering non-verbal tunes called nigunim are ways you can see musical rituals in the religious observance. There are other popular songs sung during these times, such as “Ma’oz Tzur” and “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,” which have deeper connotations although they became universally known. The latter, for instance, has a playful nature to it as well since it’s also a game that is traditionally played, especially among the youth. Overall, there’s a diverse range of different music to accompany all the different aspects of the Jewish holiday calendar.

Like you, we love Jewish holidays and the traditions associated with celebrating them. And, like you, we don’t always remember when they’re actually happening. We’ve put together this Jewish holiday calendar with the dates, meanings and history of every major Jewish holiday so you’ll know when and why you’re noshing or fasting!

All Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date shown. Click on any of the holidays below to learn more.