How is Rosh Hashanah celebrated?
Rosh Hashanah, a two day holiday, is both a solemn and happy occassion. Jews are solemn in their repentance, but happy in their confidence that God is merciful and good. On Rosh Hashanah, Jews listen to the Shofar (ram’s horn) blown during lengthy prayer services, eat holiday meals, and refrain from work. After repenting for bad deeds through prayers, they symbolically cast off sins through the Tashlich ceremony. What are Rosh Hashanah food customs? After the Rosh Hashanah prayer service, Jews eat a festive holiday meal. Special Rosh Hashanah food customs have developed over the centuries. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, a piece of apple is dipped into honey in the hopes of a sweet year. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Jews eat a new fruit not yet eaten in the season so a special blessing (Shehechiyanu) can be recited. Various symbolic foods – such as dates, pomegranates, pumpkin, leeks, beets – are traditionally eaten on the holiday. What is a traditional Ashkenazic Rosh Hashan
