List of Jewish Festivals

Jewish Festival of Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the day of repentance and it begins exactly 10 days after Rosh Hashana or the Jewish New Year. The day is set aside each year and no work must be done during the holiday and a lot of Jews spend the majority of the day in temple. Others attend a service toward the evening of the holiday. Some Jews fast during Yom Kippur and end the fast in the evening of the same day, typically after the temple service. This is a day to repent for those wrongs that have been done throughout the year and ask God for forgiveness.

It is not uncommon for many Jews as it gets closer to Yom Kippur to begin asking people to forgive them for any wrongs they may have done to them during the year. During the temple service the cantor sings Kol Nidre three different times as a prayer that all in attendance have repented and all are forgiven. Once the service has ended, many Jews will prepare a special meal, but it cannot be prepared during the day, it must occur after the end of the service. Finally, during the meal there is celebration for the newly cleansed or forgiven people.