• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
You are here: Home / Food Calendar / Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah

This page first published: Aug 5, 2004 · Updated: Dec 13, 2020 · by CooksInfo. Copyright © 2021 · This web site may contain affiliate links · This web site generates income via ads · Information on this site is copyrighted. Taking whole pages for your website is theft and will be DCMA'd. See re-use information.
6 September
Rosh Hashanah

Lilach Daniel / flickr.com / 2015/ CC BY 2.0

Rosh Hashanah is the start of the New Year in the Jewish calendar, a period of holidays that ends 10 days later with Yom Kippur.

The day is a festive holiday; a day of no work, except for cooking, carrying or making fire.

In a way, apples have become a food symbol of the holiday, even in Israel.

Symbolic foods are served, many of them sweet:

  • apple slices dipped in honey;
  • apricots, raisins;
  • apple or honey cake.

Round-shaped foods such as challah (egg-bread) made in a round-shape symbolize the cycle of the year. Raisins and honey are often added to the challah to make it more festive than plain challah.

Challah

Round challah bread for Rosh Hashanah. Charles Barilleaux / Wikimedia / 2014 / CC BY 2.0

In some parts of the world, the main course is often fish: cooked with the head on, and often stuffed with fruits and nuts. In North America, the traditional main dish has become turkey, and in northern Europe, roast goose with apples is traditional.

Some Jews will go to flowing water with pieces of bread, and throw the bread in, representing casting off sins.

The holiday actually starts the day before, when two stars are visible in the sky, because the Jewish day outside of Israel starts at sundown. That is called “Erev Rosh Hashanah” (“Eve of Rosh Hashanah”.)

It is customary for men to buy new clothes and jewellery for their wives (“cripplingly expensive jewellery”, some women suggest hopefully….) It is also customary to dress up in your best and attempt to make your children (not always successfully) do the same.

During the prayers in the synagogue, a horn called a “shofar” is blown several times.

Shofar

Blowing The Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. slgckgc / flickr.com / 2015/ CC BY 2.0

Yom Kippur ten days later is a solemn time of reflection and penance in the synagogue. The shofar horn is blown again then, to mark the end of the Yom Kippur fasting.

#RoshHashanah

Language Notes

Rosh Hashanah in English may be spelled with or without an H at the end.

Happy New Year is Hebrew is “L’Shana Tova!” Some purists argue that Rosh Hashanah is a pagan, man-made name and that holiday should be known instead by its more Biblical name, ” Yom Teruah”, which means “day of shouting / blasting”, referring to the blowing of the shofar horns. It may also be referred to as “Yom Ha-Zikkaron” (the day of remembrance).

Sources

Leader, Chaya. Days of Awe: Apples, Honey and Angels. Jerusalem, Israel: israelVisit E-zine. Vol 1 No 1. Rosh Hashana 5759. Retrieved 15 September 2006 from http://israelvisit.co.il/ezine/ezine1-1.htm

Levy, Faye. The Apple Holiday. Jerusalem, Israel: The Jerusalem Post. 13 September 2006.

Levy, Faye. Rush, rush Rosh Hashana. Jerusalem, Israel: The Jerusalem Post. 20 September 2006.

Kleinfield, N.R. At Home in Another Country, Hanukkah by Different Rules; Special Service Reaches Those With Dementia. New York: New York Times. 30 November 2002.

Apples and honey

Apples and honey. cstpdx / Pixabay.com / 2015 / CC0 1.0

Tagged With: Jewish Food

Primary Sidebar

Search

www.hotairfrying.com

Visit our Hot Air Frying Site

Random Quote

‘Noncooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, well, so is the ballet.’ — Julia Child (15 August 1912 – 12 August 2004)

Food Calendar

food-calendar-icon
What happens when in the world of food.

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe for updates on new content added.

Footer

Copyright © 2021 · Copyright & Reprint · Privacy · Terms of use ·Foodie Pro ·
Funding to enable continued research and updating on this web site comes via ads and some affiliate links