First of all, let's find out when the Jewish New Year is celebrated. This holiday is “migratory”, calculated according to the solar-lunar calendar, which does not coincide with the generally accepted one. Strictly speaking, it falls on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri. In 2013, this date is the fifth of September, but since the festivities must last exactly two days (during which you can’t work), you need to mark the beginning of the new year on September 5-6.
This Jewish holiday is called Rosh Hashana. According to legend, it was on this day that God, having begun to create the world of the 25th Elul, the 1st Tishree created the first man - Adam. Thus, this is not a new era in the world, but a new stage in the life of all mankind. God on this day is transplanted from the throne of Justice to the throne of Mercy, and all believers expect pardon and pardon. Adam, born in Eden, sinned and was cast out on behalf of the Lord into the world of death. He was condemned by God to Yom Kippur. Therefore, the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called “ships.”
It is believed that three books are opened before God on the Jewish New Year : in the first, the “Book of Life,” the Lord writes down the saints and the righteous, sending them long and happy years. In the second - “The Book of Death” - He enters the names of unrepentant sinners, whom he eradicates from the face of the earth. And in the third - all the others, leaving the decision of their fate to the trial, which is due to happen in Yom Kippur. Therefore, Rosh Hashanah is a strict holiday, full of spiritual purification, reflection, prayer. He who will feel remorse for his evil deeds, will be full of firm desire to renounce sins and hope for God's mercy, he will be forgiven.
On the Jewish New Year, believers must prepare for the judgment. And the trumpet sound of the ritual horn - the shofar - as if calls: “Let all those who doze and spend the time allotted in vain wake up ... Make good your deeds.”
The Creator of the Universum has the right to enrich someone, while making the other a beggar, one to give one more year, full of health and prosperity, and the other to ordain wanderings and diseases. Therefore, the Jews on the eve of the holiday wish each other the following: "Be included in the list of a happy year." It is customary to give gifts and send greeting cards to all friends and acquaintances.
Jewish New Year is celebrated in the family circle. On the festively cleaned table are exhibited dishes designed to entice luck with their appearance or symbolism. Start your meal with challah - a round sweet muffin with raisins (so that the year is healthy). Then you need to dip a slice of the chopped apple in honey and eat it so that the coming time becomes happy and sweet. Also on the table must be present: fish (a symbol of fertility), a lamb or fish head (so as not to lash in the tail), sliced carrots (since it resembles gold coins), fruits and vegetables, so that our plans give good results.
However, these are all popular beliefs. The Jewish New Year has a deep philosophical foundation, which emphasizes the greatness of the Lord over His creation. This holiday is also called the Day of Coronation, similar to the enthronement of the earthly sovereign. As vassals bring homage to their lord, the Jewish people praise their Creator by saying a ritual prayer: “Our God, rule over all the earth in His glory. Let all the creatures know that You created them ... And may all abide in a single union, in order to fulfill God's will from the bottom of our hearts. ”