Top Jewish Holidays For 2011

Jewish Holidays are the most awaited occasions for Jews worldwide. The Jewish holidays are also known as "Yom Tov" in Hebrew. "Yom Tov" means 'good day'. This is referred as per the relevance of the festival or the event. Some of the well-known festivals celebrated by the Jews are Sukkot, Purim, Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Sefirah and Tisha B'av.

Some of the Jewish holidays have religious significance, while others are connected to an incident in the Jewish history.

Among all holidays, Yom Hashoah is observed as an important day. The day marks the uneventful Holocaust and reminds Jews of it. Yom Hashoah derived its name from the Hebrew word of 'shoah'. It was first observed in the year 1959, in Israel. Yom Hashoah is observed on the 27th of Nissan, which is a Jewish month. The remembrance ceremony includes lighting of candles and listening to stories from the survivors of the Holocaust.

Tu B' Shevat is yet another important Jewish holiday in the calendar. It is also known as 'New Year for Trees' and is one of the Rosh Hashanahs for the Jews. On this day, Jews savor varieties of fruits, specially the ones mentioned in the Torah. The religious book of Torah talks about seven 'fruits' like, figs, olives, dates, wheat, grapes, barley and pomegranates. Seasonal or new fruit is also eaten during these holidays.

Hanukkah is one of the major festivals for the Jews. It is celebrated in the month of Christmas. The festival is also known as the Chanukah and is considered as the 'festival of lights'. Celebration of Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev and continues for about 8 days. This festival also has a historical and religious significance. It celebrates the victory of Maccabees over Syrian Greeks. The Maccabees were a group of Jews who won a three year battle to win back Jerusalem and its temples. Hanukkah thus indicates the Jewish struggle for religious independence.

JEWISH HOLIDAYS

CELEBRATION DATES

10TH Tevet

January 5

Tu B' Shevat

January 20th

National Holocaust Memorial Day

January 27th

Fast of Esther

March 17th

Purim

March 20th

Shushan Purim

March 21st

Fast of the Firstborn

April 18th

First Passover

April 19th

Final Passover

April 26th

Yom Hashoah

May 1st

Yom Hazikaron

May 8th

Yom Ha'atzmaut

May 9th

Lag B'Omer

May 22nd

Yom Jerushalayim

June 1st

Shavuot

June 8th

17th Tammuz

July 19th

Tisha B'Av

August 9th

Rosh Hashanah

September 29th

Fast of Gedalliah

October 1st

Yom Kippur

October 8th

Sukkot

October 13th

Hoshanah Rabbah

October 19th

Shemini Atzeret

October 20th

Simchat Torah

October 21st

Hanukkah

December 21st

The calendar above shows the prominent Jewish holidays for 2011.

Jewish people are deep rooted in their religion and culture. Due to their long exile period, Jews were more attached to their holidays and festivals, which on the other hand helped them to preserve their religion and faith. Torah and Tanach are the two religious books, which tell about the Jewish history and its festivals. The Jewish holidays includes modern festivals, historical events, and religious festivals. These are observed as per the dates given in the Jewish lunar calendar. Some of these holidays are known for their Biblical connection and are known as eminent festivals around the world.