Jewish traditions

Jewish traditions have been kept for more than three thousand years in many lands, and include Shabbat, the festivals of Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Hanukkah, the dietary laws of kashrut, and the rites of brit milah, bar and bat mitzvah, marriage and mourning. The Jewish communities of Ashkenaz, Sepharad, Mizrahi lands, Ethiopia and India each developed their own foods, melodies and customs. These pages describe them as those who keep them do, and note the variety among communities.

Shabbat and the festivals

Shabbat, from Friday evening to Saturday night, is the weekly day of rest with candles, wine, challah and a family meal. The festivals follow the lunar calendar: the autumn High Holy Days, the harvest of Sukkot, the lights of Hanukkah, the carnival of Purim and the freedom story of Passover, with its seder. Each has special foods, readings and customs, and many involve children actively.

Many communities, many customs

Jews from Iraq, Morocco, Yemen, Poland, Ethiopia and Spain have all kept the same faith with differences in food, melody and dress. A Moroccan Mimouna celebration after Passover, a Yemenite henna party or an Ashkenazi cholent on Shabbat all belong to the tradition. The common thread is the study of text, the remembrance of history and the care of community, expressed in rites as old as the faith.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Jewish (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelPassoverפסח A Jewish spring festival celebrating freedom from slavery with ritual mealsSpiritual · Dinner

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreHanukkahחֲנֻכָּה An eight-day Jewish festival marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a single day'Festival

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelYom Kippurיוֹם כִּפּוּר The holiest day in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, prayer and atonementSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇱 IsraelRosh Hashanahרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה The Jewish New Year marked by shofar horn blasts, prayer and sweet foodsSpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSukkotסוכות A seven-day autumn Jewish festival of temporary booths, harvest prayers and hospitalitySpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 morePurimפּוּרִים A lively Jewish festival of storytelling, shared food, masks and charityFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreKaddishקַדִּישׁ A Jewish hymn of sanctification recited during prayer services and mourning rituals.Spiritual

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreTzitzitצִיצִית Knotted ritual fringes worn on a four-cornered garment, a reminder of the commandmentsDress

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreMezuzahמְזוּזָה (mezuzah) A parchment scroll with Hebrew verses placed in a case on the doorposts of Jewish homes.Spiritual

🇮🇱 Tiberias, Israel and 2 moreYahrzeitיאָרצײַט (yortsayt) A Jewish death anniversary marked by prayer and a burning candle to honour the departed.Rite of passage

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreTisha B'Avתשעה באב A solemn fast day in July or August to mourn the destruction of the Jerusalem Temples and other Jewish tragedies.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreKol Nidreכָּל נִדְרֵי An Aramaic declaration of vow annulment that opens the Yom Kippur evening service in Jewish synagogues.Spiritual

🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreHousewarming party A gathering held soon after moving into a new home to celebrate the space and welcome guests.Home

🇵🇱 Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland and 1 moreMarch of the LivingMarsz Żywych (Polish) · מצעד החיים (Hebrew) An annual two-week journey to Poland ending in a silent walk from Auschwitz to BirkenauCeremony

🇲🇦 Marrakesh, Morocco and 5 moreGnawa musicڭْناوة or كْناوة A spiritual musical tradition of Morocco that blends West African rhythms with Islamic ritual to heal and connect communPerformance

🇮🇱 IsraelTallitטלית A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipSpiritual

🇲🇦 Morocco and 5 moreAndalusi classical musicطرب أندلسي A classical suite of vocal and instrumental music shared across North AfricaPerformance

🇮🇱 IsraelMishloach manotמשלוח מנות Food parcels exchanged on Purim, so everyone has plenty for the day's festive mealSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreDreidelדרײדל (Yiddish); סביבון (Hebrew) A four-sided top spun for small stakes, most often by Jewish families at HanukkahGame

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelShavuotשבועות A late-spring Jewish festival of the wheat harvest and the giving of the TorahSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreMaslenitsaМасленица A seven-day Eastern Slavic festival of pancakes and bonfires marking the end of winter before Lent.Festival · Breakfast

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRite of passage A ceremony that marks leaving one group and entering another, with a new statusRite of passage

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelPassover Sederסדר פסח A ritual meal opening Passover, told over wine, matzah and symbolic foodsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 7 morePysankaписанка A wax-resist egg decorating tradition kept by Slavic communities for Easter and spring renewal.Festival

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShemini Atzeretשְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת The eighth day of assembly, kept right after Sukkot with a prayer for rainSpiritual

🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineChristmas in UkraineРіздво (Rizdvo) A Ukrainian Christmas celebration with a twelve-dish vegan supper on Christmas Eve and observance on January 6 or DecembFestival · Supper

🇮🇱 IsraelYom HaZikaronיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן Israel's national day of mourning for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.Ceremony

🇲🇦 Morocco and 4 moreMimounaמִימוּנָה A Maghrebi Jewish celebration marking the end of Passover with sweets and open doorsFestival · Dinner

🇫🇮 Finland and 5 moreMolybdomancy Pouring molten lead or tin into water, then reading the shape as an omenFolklore

🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 2 moreSigdስግድ An Ethiopian Jewish holiday of covenant renewal, fasting, and longing for ZionSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptSham Ennessimشم النسيم An Egyptian spring festival of picnics, salted fish, green onions and painted eggsSeasonal

🇨🇱 Santiago, ChileFiestas Patrias Chile's homeland festivities celebrating national identity with music, dance, and foodCeremony

🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreTashlikhתשליך A Jewish new year rite of casting sins into flowing water, kept by the watersideSpiritual

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEvil eye A belief in harm cast by envious glares, met with protective charms and spoken blessingsFolklore

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel and 1 moreAdloyadaעדלאידע A humorous Purim parade in Israel featuring giant puppets and satirical floats.Festival

🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער An Ashkenazi Jewish instrumental tradition of lively dance tunes and ritual melodiesPerformance

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalasutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram) A necklace tied by the groom at a wedding, worn through married lifeDress

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual

🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotהַקָּפוֹת Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Torahשִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה The day Jewish communities finish the Torah reading and start it again, with dancingSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇱 Israel and 4 moreTorah readingקריאת התורה The public reading of the Torah scroll in synagogue, chanted to a special tuneSpiritual

🇷🇴 Bucharest, Romania and 7 moreHorahoră (Romanian), хоро (Bulgarian), оро (Macedonian), הורה (Hebrew) A circle dance from Southeast Europe, danced at weddings and festivalsPerformance

🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreChallahחַלָּה A braided Jewish bread, blessed and shared at Shabbat and holiday tablesTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the weddingRite of passage

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreHanukkah menorah A nine-branched lamp that gains one more flame on each of Hanukkah's eight nightsSpiritual

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreHigh Holy Daysיָמִים נוֹרָאִים The Jewish year's ten days of repentance, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom KippurSpiritual

🇮🇱 IsraelKiddushקידוש A blessing over wine or grape juice that marks Shabbat and festivals as holySpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBread and saltхлеб-соль Bread and salt offered to a guest: a welcome kept from Russia to AlbaniaEtiquette

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shabbat meals: Yoninah, Public domain, source
Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
Prostration: Meghan Breeze, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pysanka: Lubap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Passover: User:RadRafe~commonswiki, Public domain, source
Yom HaZikaron: אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
Maslenitsa: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hanukkah: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
Yom Kippur: Maurycy Gottlieb, Public domain, source
March of the Living: No machine-readable author provided. Efka de~commonswiki assumed (base, CC BY 2.5, source
Sigd: האגודה הישראלית למען יהודי אתיופיה, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rosh Hashanah: N100a . The original uploader was N100a at Hebrew Wikipedia ., Attribution, source
Mangalasutra: Ackroydman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sukkot: Zachi Evenor, CC BY 2.0, source
Purim: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mishloach manot: Yoninah, CC BY 2.5, source
Dreidel: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fiestas Patrias: Osmar Valdebenito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Tzitzit: DRosenbach at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source
Adloyada: ד"ר אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
Shavuot: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rite of passage: Rogier van der Weyden, Public domain, source
Tashlikh: Yaakov Saar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Passover Seder: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Shemini Atzeret: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Molybdomancy: Micha L. Rieser, Attribution, source
Tallit: Mushki Brichta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gnawa music: Lucyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kaddish: Jwh, CC BY-SA 3.0 lu, source
Housewarming party: State Library of Queensland, Australia, No restrictions, source
Mimouna: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Kol Nidre: אליעזר ב"ר רבי אליהו הלוי שבט סופר, Public domain, source
Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tisha B'Av: shlomi kakon, CC BY 2.5, source
Simchat Torah: No machine-readable author provided. Merlin assumed (based on copyrigh, CC BY 2.5, source
Torah reading: Sagie Maoz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Yahrzeit: Elipongo, Public domain, source
Mezuzah: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, source
Korovai: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
Hanukkah menorah: Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
High Holy Days: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Kiddush: Dimitri, CC BY-SA 3.0, source