what is rosh hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, which takes place at the beginning of the month of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Jewish year. It is a two-day observance and celebration that begins on the first day of Tishrei. The name "Rosh Hashanah" means "head of the year" or "first of the year". During this time, Jews reflect on the past year and ask for forgiveness for any wrongdoings. The holiday is also known as Yom Hadin or the Day of Judgment, on which God opens the Books of Life and Death, which are then sealed on Yom Kippur. The shofar, a rams horn that makes a trumpet-like sound, is blown as a wake-up call to prepare for the Tishrei holidays. One week before Rosh Hashanah, special petitionary prayers called Selichot are added to the ritual. Among the popular traditions associated with the holiday is a family gathering for candle lighting and dinner on erev (Eve) Rosh Hashanah, and the practice of tashlich, where Jews go to a body of water and symbolically cast away their sins.