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Macaroni Days: September 4 Starts Rosh Hashannah

The Jewish New Year is Celebrated This Year on September 4-6

By Edited by Sharon Rosenthal Camarillo-Oxnard-Ventura Ca publisher August 31, 2013
Rosh Hashanah, celebrated this week starting at sundown on Wednesday, September 4th and is the start of the Jewish New Year. Keep reading for some fun crafts and links to some yummy Rosh Hashana recipes.

Many Jews attend services at synagogues or temples where they will pray for a sweet year full of blessings, and hear the blowing of the Shofar (a Ram's Horn). The holiday is marked with family and friends gathering for dinners each night and a Tashlich or Casting Off of Sins Ceremony.

A FUN ROSH HASHANA CRAFT FOR KIDS
On Rosh Hashanah, and the days before and after, Jews wish each other  a sweet new year - or in Hebrew a, "L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu," translated as "May you be written in for a good year."

They send cards or call each other (some people email, Facebook, tweet, etc.). A fun project to do with the kids is to create New Years' cards and send them to family and friends.

Here is a fun, easy and very personalized card craft for you to send:

Materials You Need:
  • Construction paper
  • Pencils
  • Scissors
  • Crayons
  • Glue Stick
  • Sparkly stickers, glitter etc.
How To:
  1. Fold 8 1/2x11 construction paper in half.
  2. Trace your child’s hand onto the paper, putting their pinky against the folded edge.
  3. Add a New Year’s greeting inside the card and have your child decorate the card with crayons, stickers and glitter.    
THE SHOFAR
One of the key traditions of this holiday is to hear a Shofar blown. The loud noise can be scary for some, and other kids love it. The idea behind the Shofar being blown is that it is a wakeup call to start atoning for the sins/mistakes of the previous year because the day of atonement is close.

Kids can make their own Shofar at http://joyfuljewish.wordpress.com

THE FOOD OF THE HOLIDAY
The meals provide a wonderful opportunity for the family to get together, enjoy each other’s presence and reflect about the past year and be optimistic for the upcoming year. Some fun foods to enjoy while celebrating this holiday is apples dipped in honey, Pomegranates, sweet carrot tsimmes, the round challah or egg bread with raisins and honey cakes.

The Round Challah is used instead of the usual braided challah/egg bread. The special round challah reminds us of the roundness of the year and tells us that the coming year will be full and fruitful.  (Some people also add sweet raisins to the Challah).

We take an apple which is sweet (not a green, tart apple) and dip it into sweet honey, trusting and praying that G-d will grant us a sweet new year). There is special blessing and prayer said when eating the Apple and Honey. A fun game to play with younger kids is,   “Let’s dip 1-2-3.  Let’s dip again 1-2-3.”  The purpose behind the dipping is to talk about the sweetness of the apple and of the honey, and the sweetness that we hope for the new year.

Pomegranates are symbolic of ‘plenty’. There are plenty of seeds in a pomegranate. Jews ask G-d for plenty of health and happiness for the new year. If you open a Pomengranit you will see tons of seeds in there. Jews want to have as many happiness and good things in their lives—just like there are so many seeds in this fruit.  Ask your child for specific good things he wants for the upcoming year. Be careful, pomegranates can stain.

Carrots in the Yiddish language, are called ‘merren’. This word also means ‘more’ in Yiddish. We want more of all the good things in life: More happiness, more health, and more success.   Many people prepare the carrots in a sweet honey sauce (called tsimmes).

THE CEREMONY OF TASHLICH

On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah (this year September 5, 2013), jews walk to a river or a place of water. It is best if there are fish in the water. At the river, they say a special prayer which reminds them about doing better in the next year. Click HERE for the prayer and how to do this ceremony.

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