Among the Jewish
festivals, the Sabbath (Saturday) occupies the pride of place. The
Sabbath gives the labourer every week a day of rest and leisure. Passover
or the feast of unleavened bread is one commemorating the birth of
Israel as a nation and deliverance of the Jews from the Egyptian slavery.
It falls in April or May. Pentecost is another Jewish festival held
in May-June. It has an agricultural and historical significance. The
feast of Tabernacle is another pilgrim festival falling in either
September or October. During this feast, Jews set temporary booths
covered with palm leaves and decorated with citrus and other fruits.
The Jewish New Year falls in September or October. It is not a time
for revelry, but a solemn season for self-assessment and judgement
in the life of the Jew. The Day of Atonement following the New Year
is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Not a morsel of food
or a drop of water will pass the lips of the observant Jews from subset
of the previous day till after the nightfall of the next day. The
Jews will be in the synagogue of devoting themselves to fervent prayers.
The Hannukka or the festival of lights is another popular celebration
of the Jews.
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