Jewish Religious Holiday

Jewish Religious Holiday
The Jewish religion observed numerous holidays. Every holiday is significant in the light of its historical origin and religious practice. This presentation will cover each holiday covering the observance date, historical origin, and religious practice.
Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve. It observed for two days beginning on 1 Tishrei, the first of the Jewish year. In Hebrew the phrase Rosh Hashanah means “head of year” and thus the holiday is commonly known as the Jewish New year. There is one similarity between the Jewish New year and the secular one: many people use the New Year to make resolutions. Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur means Day of Atonement and refers to the annual Jewish observance of fasting, prayer, and repentance. Yom Kippur, which dates from biblical times, is referenced in the Torah three separate times. It is portrays primarily as a cultic festival, a day center almost exclusively on the Temple in Jerusalem. According to tradition, all females from 12 years old and males from 13 years old must fast.
Sukkoth is a biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (varies from late September to late October). It is one of three biblical mandated festivals on which Hebrew were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. It follows the solemn holiday Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. The Sukkoth is intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years travel in the desert after their exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the Sukkoth.
Hanukkah also known as the festival of lights and Feast of Dedication is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek. The festival is observed by the kindling of lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night.
Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holiday on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim is told in the biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his own daughter. Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. During Purim the Jewish drink, eat, and send out gifts of food or drink.
Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. Passover lasts for seven days. The first and last days of the holiday are days on which no work is permitted. The name Passover is derived from the Hebrew word pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that God passed over the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the first born of the Egyptians during the last of the ten plagues. On the first night of Passover, Jews are commanded to have special family meal filled with ritual to remind Jews of the significance of the holiday.
Shavuot known as the feast of weeks in English and as Pentecost in Greek is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (late May or early June). Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the entire nation of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai, although the association between the giving of the Torah and Shavuot is not explicit in the biblical text. Shavuot was also the first day on which individuals could bring the first fruits to the temple in Jerusalem. The first fruits were brought in from the seven species for which the land of Israel is praised: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, and olive.