what do you do on yom kippur

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism known as the Day of Atonement, the main observances include fasting for about 25 hours, abstaining from food and drink, and refraining from several physical comforts or pleasures such as bathing, wearing leather shoes, applying lotions or creams, and sexual relations. The day is devoted to prayer, introspection, and seeking forgiveness from God and fellow people. Jews typically wear white garments symbolizing purity and humility, and many spend most of the day in synagogue prayers, including special services like Kol Nidre, Yizkor (a memorial prayer), and Ne'ilah (the closing prayer). Yom Kippur begins at sundown and ends after nightfall the next day, concluding with the blowing of the shofar horn. Before Yom Kippur, it is customary to eat a festive meal and to ask forgiveness from those one may have wronged as part of the atonement process.