Rosh Hashanah - the celebration for Jewish New Year - is nearly upon us, falling on 5 September this year.
What Does Rosh Hashanah Mean?
The Jewish New Year - known as Rosh Hashanah - commemorates the creation of the world and lasts for two days.
When greeting one another Jews say "Shanah Tovah" which means "for a good New Year."
Observant Jews will attend synagogue where one of the rituals for Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the Shofar, a ram's horn trumpet. In a special pattern a hundred notes are sounded out. This is something young children particularly look forward to.
After the service, families disperse for a special meal where the theme is sweetness. Families wish one another a "happy and sweet New Year". Apples are dipped in honey, as a symbol of the sweet New Year that each Jew hopes will follow and sometimes a sweet carrot stew called a 'Tzimmes' is served.
The traditional Challah or Hallah bread is served as a round loaf at this time of year, rather than the plaited loaf usually served. This symbolises the circle of life and the year.
Sometimes a pomegranate is placed on the table too. Tradition dictates that a pomegranate holds 613 seeds, which represent each of the commandments a Jew is meant to keep.
Being with family and close friends is a wonderful tradition to keep over Jewish New Year but sometimes this is not always possible. Talking on the phone is lovely, but sending a beautiful Ananya Card for Rosh Hashanah is an elegant way of sending Jewish New Year greetings and messages to far away loved ones.
Our cards have a variety of designs featuring both apples and the tree of life and a message for a sweet new year. You can order the Rosh Hashanah cards online in plenty of time for the end of September - receiving a handwritten card through the post is always a delight.
Here are just some of our designs - you can find the rest on our website.
We also offer cards for other Jewish celebrations, including Bar Mitzvah messages, Bat Mitzvah and Pesach. We pride ourselves on elegant and contemporary designs, so take a look.
What do you enjoy best about celebrating Jewish New Year? Have you any special recipes you'd like to share with us? We'd love to feature them!