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.

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreVigil A purposeful watch of prayer, mourning, or reflection kept through the nightSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇱 IsraelFast of the Firstbornתַעֲנִית בְּכוֹרוֹת A Jewish fast day kept by firstborns on the eve of PassoverSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreZeved habatזֶבֶד הַבָּת A Jewish naming ceremony for newborn girls, kept by Sephardi, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi communities.Rite of passage

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreKiddush Levanahקידוש לבנה A Jewish ritual service held after the new moon to bless God for the lunar cycle and seek protection.Spiritual 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreIncubationἐγκοίμησις The sacred practice of sleeping in holy shrines to seek divine healing and dreamsSpiritual

🇹🇳 Tunisia and 1 moreBsisaبسيسة A North African grain and oil ritual to unlock blessings for the yearTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreIsru Chagאסרו חג A minor Jewish observance extending the joy and sanctity of major pilgrimage holidaysSpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Beit HaShoeivahשמחת בית השואבה Nightly music and dancing during the intermediate days of the festival of SukkotFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇪🇬 EgyptHermetic Qabalah A Western esoteric tradition blending Kabbalah, astrology, tarot and classical mythSpiritual

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRemoval of footwear indoors The widespread custom of leaving outdoor shoes at the door for cleanliness and respectEtiquette 🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFirst haircut A rite of passage marking a child's first shave or trim across many cultures and faiths.Rite of passage

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 moreDough offeringHafrashat challah A Jewish ritual where a portion of bread dough is set aside for a priest.Spiritual 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTikkun HaKlaliתיקון הכללי A set of ten Psalms recited for repentance and spiritual healing within the Breslover Hasidic tradition.Spiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelSong of Ascentsשיר המעלות Fifteen Hebrew psalms sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and by monks at prayerSpiritual 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAliya la'regelעלייה לרגל A Jewish commandment to appear at the Temple in Jerusalem during three annual festivals.Spiritual 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYom HaHatzalahיום ההצלה A Sat Hasidic holiday marking the rescue of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum from the Holocaust on the 21st of Kislev.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇪🇸 SpainGragerגראַגער (grager) A noisemaker used by Jewish communities to drown out the name of Haman during Purim readings.Festival

🇮🇱 Meron, Israel and 1 moreUpsherinאָפּשערן A boy's first haircut at three, the day his Jewish learning beginsRite of passage · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreLeil Selichotליל הסליחות A night of penitential prayers and poems recited before the Jewish New Year to seek forgiveness.Spiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelAravahערבה The ritual waving and beating of willow branches during the festival of SukkotSpiritual

🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreDay of Salvation and Liberationיום השחרור וההצלה A Jewish holiday on the 26th of Iyar to thank God for saving Jews from Nazi annihilation.Festival

🇮🇱 IsraelEve of Passover on Shabbatערב פסח Special Jewish calendar customs when the eve of Passover coincides with the SabbathSeasonal · Dinner

🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 2 moreZemirotזמירות Jewish table hymns sung during the three meals of Shabbat and holidaysSpiritual · Dinner 🇮🇱 IsraelShabbatonשבתון A Jewish communal retreat or educational program centered on ShabbatSpiritual

🇮🇶 IraqShabbat mealsסעודות שבת Three ritual meals eaten across the Jewish Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday nightTable custom · Dinner

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelChallah cover A cloth used to cover braided bread loaves on the Shabbat table in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition.Spiritual · Dinner 🇮🇱 Safed, IsraelShalom Aleichemשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם A traditional song sung on Friday night to welcome Sabbath angels into the homeSpiritual

🇾🇪 YemenConfession in Judaismוִדּוּי (vīddūy) Admitting sin before God, in daily prayer, on Yom Kippur and at the end of lifeSpiritual

🇷🇺 RussiaBlack wedding A traditional Jewish crisis wedding held in a cemetery to ward off diseaseSpiritual

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 2 morePassover sacrificeקרבן פסח The lamb offering eaten at the start of Passover, from the Exodus storySpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreHoshana Rabbahהוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּה The seventh and final day of Sukkot, marked by seven synagogue processions and night-long study.Festival · Dinner 🇮🇱 IsraelTefillat Talתפילת טל A Jewish prayer for dew, recited on the opening morning of PassoverSpiritual

Photo credits on this page

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

Song of Ascents: No machine-readable author provided. Amoruso~commonswiki assumed (base, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Hoshana Rabbah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Passover sacrifice: מפוכח, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Removal of footwear indoors: Sarang, Public domain, source
Isru Chag: Jim Padgett, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Vigil: unknown master, Public domain, source
Fast of the Firstborn: J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, source
Kiddush Levanah: Wacław Koniuszko, Public domain, source
Simchat Beit HaShoeivah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Hermetic Qabalah: Jean-Louis Durant (1654-1718), Public domain, source
First haircut: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bsisa: Kamelgazzah, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
Leil Selichot: Yael Shilo יעל שילה, CC BY 3.0, source
Zeved habat: I.am.a.qwerty, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Black wedding: American Colony Photo Department, Public domain, source
Dough offering: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Upsherin: Vered Peer, CC BY 4.0, source
Aravah: DRosenbach ( Talk | Contribs ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Eve of Passover on Shabbat: בעלת הזכויות - טלי אמתי, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Zemirot: ביקורת, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shabbat meals: Yoninah, Public domain, source
Grager: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Confession in Judaism: Nathan [ben Samson] of Mezhyrich, Public domain, source