BACK TO SITE Traditions & Story 
Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, are two very important holidays in the Jewish calendar. On Rosh Hashanah, Jews all over the world gather in synagogues to celebrate the day HaShem created Adam and Khavah (Eve), the first humans. We celebrate Rosh Hashanah with sweet foods, like apples dipped in honey and honey cake, as a wish for a sweet year. Some families also celebrate with symbolic foods like the head of a fish, pomegranates, and carrots. The head of a fish is so that we can be "like the head and not like the tail." This is a symbol of having a year in which we are on top and not the bottom. Pomegranates are symbolic of plenty. Have you ever tried to count how many seeds there are in a pomegranate? Far too many to count. We want plenty of health and happiness for the New Year, just as many good things as there are seed in a pomegranate. We also eat carrots, and it isn't just to see better in the dark. For Ashkenazi Jews, carrots symbolize the Yiddish word "merren" which also means more. We want more of all the good things in life. More health, more happiness, more success. For Sephardic Jews, carrots are symbolic of the phrase "Yikaretu oyveychem" which means may your enemies be cut down. We ask that those who wish bad for us not get their wish, that they don't succeed. And of course, we have round Challot made with honey and raisins. These are another symbol of a sweet and happy year. We put decorations on the Challot, such as birds (symbolizing doves of peace). Rosh Hashanah starts on the first day of Tishrei and lasts two days. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Yamim Noraim, the ten days of atonement. On Rosh Hashanah, all mankind is judged. HaShem writes the judgment for each of us in the Book of Life. This judgment is based on our lives of the year before, and is the decision of what will happen to us in the coming year. But the judgment is not final. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give us a time to change the judgment for good. We are given the chance to improve our coming year through Teshuvah (asking forgiveness), Tefillah (prayer), and Tzedakah (charity). On Rosh Hashanah we wish each other "L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevuh" may you be written in for a good year. But Rosh HaShanah is not the end of the judgment, it is only on Yom Kippur that our judgment is made final. 
Blessings 
Rosh Hashanah is observed each year on the first day of Tishrei. It begins on the evening before with the blessing of the festival candles. Mother lights the candles and says these blessings: 
I praise G-d, who is Lord and Ruler over all, for teaching us the commandment of greeting this (Shabbat and ) Festival by the lighting of candles
Tashlich 
On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah it is
tradition to walk to a river or spring (preferably one that has fish in it)
and recite special prayers called penitential prayers. After you say
the prayers you throw the bread crumbs into the water.Some people keep a piece of the Afikoman from Passover for this purpose and thus link the holidays together. Tossing the bread crumbs on the water is symbolic of casting away our sins and starting a new year with a clean slate. If the first day of Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbat then Tashlich is traditionally done on the second day.
Shofar 
In ancient times the shofar was sounded to announce a new month. The horn of a ram is most often used for making a shofar because it is much like the story of the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, an event which, according to tradition, is believe to have happened on Rosh Hashanah. There are three types of shofar blasts that we hear during Rosh Hashanah: Tekia - one long blast Shevarim - three short blasts Terua - nine short fast blasts Before the shofar is blown a special blessing is said: 
I praise G-d, who
is King and Ruler over all,
who commanded us to hear the sound of the shofar
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