Holy days, as well as other days of commemoration, celebration and fast days related to the Jewish religion, are arranged on the basis of the Hebrew Calendar, and according to this calendar, they are celebrated on the same date and therefore in the same season every year.
The fundamental holy day of the Jewish faith discipline is "Sabbath". According to the Hebrew Calendar, the 7th day of the week, which begins on Sunday, is "Sabbath"; As a day made sacred in accordance with the divine will, it is a day when the individual is expected to take a break from worldly concerns, free himself to God and strengthen his spirituality through worship and Torah studies. It is religiously forbidden to do any of the thirty-nine categories of activity which Jewish law identifies as prohibited by biblical law on Shabbat. It is essential that this day be lived under unique conditions. "Shabbat" conditions begin before sunset on Friday and continue until after sunset on Saturday.
Apart from this, Rosh Chodesh (Start of the New Month), beginning from the first day of each month and the last day of some months. On these days, in addition to the prayers on ordinary days, special prayers and good wishes are recited for the coming month.
The holidays in the chronology of the Hebrew calendar is as follows:
ROSH HASHANA: The first and second days of the month of Tishrei, the first month of the calendar year, have special significance as "Rosh Hashanah/New Year's Day". These days are the days when the Jewish believer reviews his life in relation to the past year, becomes aware of his mistakes and shows his will not to repeat them in the future, improves his behavior, prays to God for the forgiveness of the sins he has committed, and for the beginning of the year; These are the days when people are expected to wish goodness and blessings for themselves, their immediate and distant surroundings, and ultimately for humanity and the world.
TZOM GEDALIAH: The 3rd day of the month of Tishrei is the fasting day known as "Tzom Gedaliah". Fasting is observed in memory of the complete destruction of Jerusalem, defined as the holy city for Jewish believers, by the Babylonian armies as a result of the assassination of a leader named Gedaliah.
YOM KIPPUR: Yom Kippur 10 Tishrei is of great importance for the Jews. On this day in synagogues, people pray with special prayers to God for forgiveness of their sins. Yom Kippur is a day when Jews, on one hand, apologize to their fellow humans for their negative behavior and seek forgiveness, and on the other hand, seek refuge in God’s mercy and forgiveness.SUKKOT: Also known as the "Festival of Tabernacles", Sukkot begins on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is a holiday to commemorate the Jews’ sheltering under tabernacles in the desert, where they wandered for forty years, and to once again express their gratitude for the divine protection they received during this period. "Sukkot" is also known as " Chag HaAsif/Harvest Festival" because it coincides with the ripening period of some fruits, vineyard products and olives.
SUKKOT: Also known as the "Festival of Tabernacles", Sukkot begins on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is a holiday to commemorate the Jews’ sheltering under tabernacles in the desert, where they wandered for forty years, and to once again express their gratitude for the divine protection they received during this period. "Sukkot" is also known as " Chag HaAsif/Harvest Festival" because it coincides with the ripening period of some fruits, vineyard products and olives.
HANUKKAH: Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and lasts for 8 days. It is celebrated with candles lit for 8 days and increasing in number every day, in memory of the Jews’ uprising against the Seleucids; it is also known as “Festival of Lights".
ASARAH BETEVET FAST: This fast is held on the 10th day of the month of Tevet, in memory of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian armies under the command of Nebuchadnezzar. It is a fast of mourning.
TU BISHVAT: Celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Shevat, "Tu Bishvat" has a religious/traditional character as evidence of the harmony with nature of the Jews, when they lived as an agricultural. Today, Tu Bishvat is also celebrated by planting tree saplings.
FAST OF ESTHER (TA’ANIT ESTER): On the 13th day of the month of Adar, Fast of Esther is held in memory of the collective fasting as a last resort following the announcement that the Jews in Persia would be subjected to genocide.
PURIM: Celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar, the day after the Fast of Esther with which it is related, "Purim" is a truly joyful holiday. It is celebrated to commemorate the fact that the Jews in Persia were on the verge of being subjected to a brutal genocide just because of their beliefs, but were saved from it as a result of a divine miracle, and that those who prepared this genocide were punished with death by the Persian Emperor.
TA’ANIT BECHOROT: As a fast held on 14th day of Nisan, "Ta’anit Bechorot" means the fast of the firstborn and is held to thank God for favoring the Hebrew firstborns while raining death on the Egyptian firstborns.
PESACH: Also known as Passover, Pesach is celebrated on the 15th day of Nisan and lasts for eight days. It is a holiday to remember the the anniversary of the liberation of the "Israelites” from Egyptian slavery by divine will and is considered to be the basis of Judaism and its social structure.In commemoration of the emergency exit from Egypt people had to bake their dough without fermenting it, leavened dough products are not eaten for eight days during the Passover holiday, and keeping such food at homes and in workplaces is also prohibited.
LAG BA’OMER: Celebrated in memory of the day when the resistance of the Jews led by Bar Kochba ended with victory against the armies of the Roman Empire. Lag Ba’Omer also commemorates the sudden end of the plague that started among the students of Rabbi Akiva, who is considered one of the most important figures in Jewish history. Lag BaOmer also coincides with the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who is defined as one of the leading figures of the Jewish mysticism. Lag Ba’Omer is described as a bittersweet day of celebration in the Jewish calendar, as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai encouraged his disciples to celebrate after his death rather than mourn.
SHAVUOT: Shavuot is on the 6th and 7th day of the month of Sivan. It is celebrated as the anniversary of the giving of the "Ten Commandments", which are the backbone of the Torah, to the Israelites through Moses. This holiday, which is celebrated after the completion of the 7-week period since the liberation of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery, is also known as the "Festival of Weeks" to refer to the 7-week period. In addition, it is also known as the "Festival of First Fruits" because the crops ripen and become edible during this holiday.
SHIVAH ASAR B'TAMMUZ: "Shivah Asar b'Tammuz" (17th of Tammuz) is the anniversary of the siege of the holy lands by the Babylonian forces, is a day of mourning spent with fasting.
TISHA BEAV: Tisha Beav means the 9th of Av. On this date, The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE as well as the second Temple in 70 CE, Tisha Beav, the date on which many catastrophes coincided in the history of the Jewish believers, including the destruction of the Temple by the armies of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the diaspora of the Jewish believers that would last 20 centuries, even in modern times, is a day spent in fasting and worshiping.
