Feasts and festivals

The feasts of Israel’s year — when they fell, what people ate and did, where they gathered and what the texts and history show of how they were kept.

Passover and Unleavened BreadHebrew pesach, matsot · Greek pascha · 14–21 Nisan, March or April
Feast of WeeksHebrew Shavuot · Greek pentēkostē, “fiftieth” · late May or June, wheat harvest
New moons and the Feast of TrumpetsHebrew rosh chodesh (new month), yom teruah (day of blasts) · 1 Tishri, September or October
Day of AtonementHebrew Yom Kippur · 10 Tishri, September or October · a day of fasting and rest
Feast of BoothsHebrew Sukkot · also Tabernacles, Ingathering · 15–22 Tishri, September or October
PurimHebrew purim, “lots” · 14–15 Adar, February or March · from the Book of Esther
Feast of DedicationHebrew Hanukkah, “dedication” · from 25 Kislev, eight days · November or December