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A list of Jewish holidays would include:
- Shabbat - every Saturday
- Rosh Chodesh - the new moon, every 29 or 30 days
- Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year, 2 days
- Yom Kippur - fast day, Day of Atonement, 1 day
- Sukkot - Tabernacles - 7 or 8 days
- Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - 1 or 2 days
- Hanukkah - 8 days
- Tu Bishvat - 1 day
- Purim - 1 day followed by 1 day of Shushan Purim
- Pesach - Passover - 7 or 8 days
- Pesach Sheni - 1 day
- Lag Ba'omer - 1 day
- Shavuot - Pentecost - 2 days
- Tu B'Av - 1 day
Jewish holidays begin at sunset and last until after nightfall 25 hours later.
There are also some minor fast days (besides for Yom Kippur) observed:
- Tzom Gedalya; the morrow of Rosh Hashana
- Asara B'Tevet - 10th of the month of Tevet, a week after Hanukkah
- Ta'anit Esther - the day before Purim
- Shiva Asar B'Tamuz - 17 of Tamuz
- Tisha B'Av - 9th of the month of Av
Minor fasts start at dawn and end at nightfall, except for Tisha B'Av which starts the evening before at sunset and lasts for 25 hours. The 3 weeks between Shiva Asar B'Tamuz and Tisha B'Av is a period of mourning referred to as "the 3 weeks" or Bein Hametzarim. The mourning intensifies during the last 9 days of these 3 weeks.
There are also some new festivals instituted since the State of Israel was founded.
Not all Orthodox Jews celebrate these days:
- Yom HaShoah - a day commemorating the holocaust
- Yom HaZikaron - Remembrance Day, in memory of fallen soldiers
- Yom HaAtzmaut - Israel's Independence day
A good place to start is http://www.answers.com/topic/jewish-holiday which has links to all the festivals and relevant pictures.
Individual festivals have unique laws:
- On Rosh Hashana, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown, to mark the beginning of the Jewish calendar year.
- Yom Kippur is a fast day on which Jews pray for forgiveness for all their sins. No eating, drinking, bathing, annointing or marital relations are allowed. Wearing leather shoes is also prohibited.
- On Sukkot Jews eat all their meals in outdoor booths (Sukkah) in order to commemorate the Israelites' wanderings in the desert. Some will aos sleep in the Sukka. They also shake the 4 minim consisting of a Lulav (young palm branch), an Etrog (Citrus Medica), three Haddassim (Myrtle branches) and two Aravot (willow branches).
- On Chanuka the 8 branched Menora is lit; on the first night one candle, on the 2nd night 2 candles until all 8 candles are lit on the 8th night.
- On Passover leavened bread is forbidden and unleavened Matza is subsituted. The first night of Passover has a Seder-meal commemorating and telling the story of the Exodus. Matzah and bitter herbs are eaten at the Seder.
- On Purim the story of Esther is read from a Megilat-Esther scroll and food baskets are given to friends and charity to the poor.
- On Shavuot there are no special laws, though the custom is to stay up all night studying Torah to mark the date that the Ten Commandments were revealed.
First answer by ID2384515304. Last edit by Doniels. Contributor trust: 224 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 9 [recommend question]
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