Rosh Hashanah (Sep 22nd to Sep 24th)

Quick facts
When is it?	Sep 22nd, 2025 - Sep 24th, 2025 Sep 11th, 2026 - Sep 15th, 2026 Oct 1st, 2027 - Oct 3rd, 2027
Tagged as:	Family Historical Interest People & Relationships Religion & Belief
What's the hashtag?	#RoshHashanah
We first published this page on:	May 3rd, 2025
We last updated this page:	May 3rd, 2025

Contents

Rosh Hashanah marks the Jewish New Year. It brings together moments of joy and reflection. Families gather, sharing meals filled with symbolic foods like apples dipped in honey, wishing for sweetness ahead.

The shofar, a ram’s horn, sounds during services, stirring hearts and minds. This blast calls for inner reflection and a fresh start.

More than a celebration, Rosh Hashanah invites personal growth. It begins the Ten Days of Awe, a period leading to Yom Kippur. During this time, individuals look inward, assess their actions, and seek to improve.

It’s a chance to mend relationships and set positive intentions. This holiday blends solemnity with hope, encouraging a meaningful path forward.

How to Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time for reflection, renewal, and celebration. Here are some engaging ways to honor this meaningful holiday:

Enjoy Symbolic Foods

Begin your meal with apples dipped in honey, symbolizing the hope for a sweet year ahead. Serve round challah bread to represent the cycle of life.

Incorporate pomegranates, which are said to contain 613 seeds, aligning with the number of commandments in the Torah. These traditional foods add depth and meaning to your celebration.

Reflect with Tashlich

Participate in Tashlich, a ritual where individuals symbolically cast off their sins by throwing pieces of bread into a flowing body of water.

This act serves as a physical representation of spiritual cleansing and renewal. It’s a powerful way to start the new year with a clean slate.

Listen to the Shofar

Attend a service or listen to the sounding of the shofar, a ram’s horn, which is blown during Rosh Hashanah.

The shofar’s blasts serve as a call to repentance and self-examination. Its unique sound is meant to awaken the soul and inspire introspection.

Send New Year Greetings

Reach out to friends and family with wishes for a “Shana Tova,” meaning a good year. Sending cards or messages strengthens bonds and shares the joy of the holiday.

It’s a simple yet meaningful way to connect with loved ones during this special time.

Create Festive Crafts

Engage children with Rosh Hashanah-themed crafts, such as making apple-shaped cards or honey dish decorations.

These activities provide a fun and educational way for young ones to learn about the holiday’s traditions and symbols. Crafting together can also create lasting family memories.

History of Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” in Hebrew. It marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. The idea first appeared in the Torah, where it’s called “Yom Teruah,” meaning “day of sounding the horn.”

That horn, called a shofar, is made from a ram’s horn. Its sound is loud, raw, and powerful—meant to wake the spirit and stir the heart. Though the Torah mentions this day, it doesn’t call it a new year. Later Jewish teachers gave it that meaning.

By around 200 CE, rabbis wrote down their traditions in a text called the Mishnah. That’s when Rosh Hashanah became a formal start to the year. They chose the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei.

This wasn’t just about counting time. It began a period of thinking deeply about the past year. The holiday kicks off the Ten Days of Repentance. These ten days lead to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

During this time, people look at their actions, fix mistakes, and seek peace with others. Rosh Hashanah offers more than a fresh calendar. It opens a chance to pause, change, and begin again with clear eyes and good intentions. The sound of the shofar still calls for that change today.