Tu B'Shevat 2013 begins in the evening of Friday, January 25 and ends in the evening of Saturday, January 26
Tu B’Shevat (Tu Bishvat) is the 15th day of the Jewish
months of Shevat. This festival is also known as the “New Year for Trees” and is
observed in Jewish communities in countries such as the United States.
What do people
do?
Many Jewish communities in the United States observe
the festival by eating fruit on this day. The Torah praises seven “fruits”, in
particular grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Many Jewish people also
try to eat a new fruit, which can be any seasonal fruit. Some Jewish communities
plant trees on Tu B’Shevat.
Public life
Tu B’Shevat is not a public holiday in the United States. However, some
Jewish organizations may be closed or offer a limited service to allow for
festivities to occur on this day.
Background
Tu B’Shevat is first referred to in the late Second Temple period (515 BCE to 20 CE) when it was the cut-off date for levying the tithe on the produce of fruit trees. When Jewish colonists returned to Palestine during the 1930s, they reclaimed the barren land by planting trees where they could. It became customary to plant a tree for every newborn child – a cedar for a boy and a cypress or pine for a girl.
Background
Tu B’Shevat is first referred to in the late Second Temple period (515 BCE to 20 CE) when it was the cut-off date for levying the tithe on the produce of fruit trees. When Jewish colonists returned to Palestine during the 1930s, they reclaimed the barren land by planting trees where they could. It became customary to plant a tree for every newborn child – a cedar for a boy and a cypress or pine for a girl.
About Tu B'Shevat
(Arbor Day) in other countries
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