10 Interesting New Year’s Traditions from Around the World
| December 31, 2018
10. Israel
Like China, Israel celebrates two different New Year’s — the Gregorian calendar new year and the holiday of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that takes place in the fall.
On Rosh Hashana, families go to synagogue and listen to the blowing of a ram’s horn, or shofar. Listening to the shofar is considered a religious commandment, so if people can’t go to the synagogue, there are organizations that bring the shofar to their home. Candles are lit, and blessings for the new year are recited by the woman of the house. A festive meal always includes apples dipped in honey (for a sweet new year), a round challah bread loaf, and either the head of a fish or a ram, which signifies the desire to be a leader and not a follower.
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