"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing the trumpets, a holy convocation.’"
- Leviticus 23:24

Rosh Hashanah

The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, is a celebration of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Ten Days of Penitence, in which the Jews look within themselves for a self-examination and repentance for their sins. Referred to as the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High days, the most solemn days in the Jewish year.

The Bible describes that Rosh Hashanah fall on the first day of the seventh month, which is known as the "head of the year", called Nissan, where the Gregorian calendar’s New Year is the first day of January. It is also marked by occurring 163 days after the first day of Passover. 

The New Year: Self-Reflection

Unlike the American’s New Year celebration which includes drinking, partying and staying up to midnight, the Jewish New Year is one of the most holy days of the year.  One similarity, however, is both New Year’s are meant to look back on the year and self-reflect on mistake made in hope for a better new year with significant changes to be made in one’s life.

The day is characterized by the trumpets blowing. The blowing of a ram’s horn in the synagogue or temple announces the coming of the New Year in a memorable way. The ram’s horn is called a shofar, and it was used in ancient times as a call to battle against the enemy.

Customs & Traditions

Rosh Hashanah is a day of rest for the Jewish people, and no laborious work is to be done. Rosh Hashanah meals may include pomegranates, honey and apples as a reminder of the "sweet New Year." Besides spending an extended period of time in the synagogue, people usually gather around a flowing body of water and empty their pocket into the water as a symbol of casting away their sins.