Reasons and Seasons to Celebrate
We are truly lucky to be able to celebrate Jewish holidays throughout the year. So if you like to find reasons to create merriment in your home, Judaism provides! (Refer to our When are the Jewish Holidays? summary.)
You can also tap into your favorite activities as a way to bring these festivals to life – from cooking to art and music to spending time outdoors.
When are the holidays? Seems like a simple enough question – but, actually, it’s not!
You’ll hear people say, “Oh, the holidays are early this year.” Or, “wow, they sure are late.” How can this be? Jewish holidays are based on a lunar (well, mostly) calendar. (To learn more, here’s one helpful resource.)
To make it a tad more confusing, Jewish holidays start at sundown. So if a calendar says that Hanukkah starts on December 20th, it really starts at sundown on December 19th.
Add to that the fact that not all congregations celebrate the same number of days. Reform congregations observe some holidays for a single day vs. two days for Orthodox and Conservative Jews — or seven days vs. eight days for others. So check with your community and use the dates here as guidelines.
Here are 2012 dates for the main holidays, along with a few nuggets of information about each:
2013 dates
Tu B’Shevat. The New Year for Trees.
Sundown, Friday, January 25 through sundown, Saturday, January 26
- Celebrates when the sap begins to rise in trees in Israel, like almond trees
- Explore: Eating fruits and nuts that grow in Israel, like grapes, figs, olives, dates, pomegranates and almonds.
Purim. The Feast of Lots.
Sundown, Saturday, February 23 through sundown, Sunday, February 24
- Celebrates the story in the Book of Esther in which Esther risks her life to save the Jews from evil Haman
- Explore: Making costumes to wear at services
Passover. Hebrew name: Pesach.
Sundown, Tuesday, March 25 through sundown, Tuesday, April 2
- Holiday of freedom and spring, celebrating the deliverance of our ancestors from slavery in Egypt
- Explore: Holding a Seder where you sing songs and taste foods that symbolize the journey from slavery to freedom
Shavuot. Feast of Weeks.
Sundown, Tuesday, May 14 through sundown, Thursday, May 16 (one day only for Reform Jews and in Israel)
- Holiday celebrating receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai and the end of the spring harvest season
- Explore: Decorating your home with fresh flowers and greenery
Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year.
Sundown, Wednesday, September 4 through sundown, Friday, September 6
- Time for serious reflection, as well as big family meals
- Explore: Dipping pieces of round challah and apples into honey, hoping for a sweet year
Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement.
Sundown, Friday, September 13 through sundown, Saturday, September 14
- Considered by many to be most serious day of the Jewish calendar (although Shabbat is really the holiest day)
- Explore: Watching and listening to the shofar (ram’s horn) blast in synagogue
Sukkot. Feast of Booths.
Sunset, Wednesday, September 18 through sundown, Wednesday, September 25
Harvest festival during which some families eat meals in their sukkah, an outdoor structure through which you can see the stars
- Explore: Building a sukkah or even just eating outside
Simchat Torah. Rejoicing in the Torah.
Sunset, Thursday, September 26 through sundown, Friday, September 27
- A festival in the synagogue to celebrate reading the last section of Torah, before starting from the beginning again
- Explore: Joining parades in the synagogue, waving special flags and carrying Torah scrolls
Hanukkah. Festival of Lights.
Sunset, Wednesday, November 27 through sundown, Thursday, December 5
- Joyous celebration commemorating religious freedom and the miracle of the oil that should have lasted only one day, but lasted for eight days
- Explore: Lighting a menorah and playing dreidel
Here’s a handy PDF listing of When are the Jewish Holidays in 2013? that you can print and use for quick reference.
