Fasting and Feasting and Festivals

The feasting for Jewish New Year in the autumn is celebrated with the autumn apples and sweet honey and honey cakes.

The card below has a honey cakes recipe.

Greetings cards for Jewish New Year showing honey. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The Happy new year greeting is shanah tovah, literally, Year good.

The next major calendar date is the Day of Atonement, involving a fast.

Yom Kippur - Jewish Day of Atonement

The word Yom means day in Hebrew. Adjectives follow nouns in Hebrew. 

Yom Kippur, the day of the annual fast, which comes a week after celebrating the Jewish New Year. It begins on Wednesday October 1, 2025 at sundown; ends at nightfall on Thursday October 2, 2025. 

Who is fasting and why? It is in the Hebrew bible, which Christians called the Old Testament when they selected books for the New Testament about the year 300 AD. The early mention of the Day of Atonement which is taken as the instruction is in the biblical book of Leviticus (which is the Greek word for laws).

Who is expected to fast? 

Boys from the age of 13, girls from the age of 12. 

Who is exampt from fasting

Anybody who needs water or food for medical reasons. For example, water to drink with pills or food to go with antibiotics, or food eaten at intervals because of diabetes. Or anybody with an illness such as pnemonia. If in doubt you can ask a doctor or rabbi if you are exampted.

Children under the age of nine are not expected to fast. Between 9 and 12 or 13 they can be introduced to the idea.

Non Jews are not expected to fast.

Both Jews and Muslims vary in their attitudes. Officially there is not rule about not eating in front of fasting Jews. However, you might feel more comfortable eating elsewhere.

Some Jews and Muslims have said they have no trouble not eating when others are eating. Just as I have no trouble not eating shellfish, to which I am allergic, when watching others eating it. I am not tmpted. It is not for me. 

If you are busy praying or busy doing anything, you may forget hunger. Or your body is instructed by your subconscious that mealtime has passed and wait until the next offer of food appears.

Feasting

At the end of the fast, even the simplest meal may seem like a feast.

Moon cakes

Over in China, Singapore, and all over the web, are pictures of moon cakes for the Autumn Festival. I dream of mooncakes.

Traditional cake with pastry crust, sweet solid filling offset by boiled egg

Mooncake Photos from Pixabay. Captions by Angela Lansbury.

Festival & Feast Plans

Autumn Festivals and Autumn time. September, October, November, December. What's to look forward to?

Hanukah and Christmas. 

Christmas & Kosher Xmas

December 25th, but also the 26th for Boxing Day in the UK. Restaurants all December and January. In the UK and USA, provided by the company, you used to get kosher turkey and kosher plum pudding.

Hanukah Dec 14-22nd 2025.

In January you can buy a diary in England, Singapore, or the USA, with festival dates for the UK, and/or Jewish festivals. Calendars may mark the local festivals, eg Asian/ and oriental dates.

Calendars, Clubs, Diaries

If you are running a club an planning your ear's events and holiday dates, you might like them in. Add the feast days for club parites. Note the feast and fast dates when your committee, or members, or visitors are likely to be absent or on holiday.

Passover

Passover, which Jesus celebrated, as depicted in paintings of the Last Supper,  is another 'movable feast' which falls around Easter time.

Useful Websites

Autumn/Chinese/Moon Festival

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/mid-autumn-moon-festival-traditions#:~:text=In%202025%2C%20the%20Mid%2DAutumn,traditions%20marking%20the%20ancient%20holiday.

Jewish

https://orsl.usc.edu/life/jewish-holy-days-

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/event/hanukkah-usa-2025#:~:text=When%20Is%20Hanukkah%202025%3F,and%20end%20on%20December%2022.calendar/#:~:text=Sukkot%20%E2%80%93%20Jewish&text=Begins%20October%206%2C%202025%20at,nightfall%20on%20October%2013%2C%202025.