The Jewish Calendar and Religious Festivals
Julian Spriggs M.A.
The Jewish calendar
The Jewish calendar was arranged around the different religious festivals which were commanded in the law of Moses. Each of these was linked to various stages in the agricultural year. This chart lists each of the months of the Jewish year and the western equivalent, together with the agricultural seasons and Jewish festivals.
|
Month |
|
Season |
Special Days |
1 |
Nisan (Abib)
start of religious year
|
March - April |
Flax harvest
Spring rains |
14th
15-21st
21st
|
Passover (Ex 12, Lev 23:5)
Unleavened Bread * (Lev 23:6)
Passover - last day (Lev 23:8)
|
2 |
Iyyar |
April - May |
Barley harvest
Dry season starts
|
14th |
Later Passover (Num 9:11) |
3 |
Sivan |
May - June |
Early figs ripen |
6th |
Pentecost * (Weeks, Harvest)
(Lev 23:15, Deut 16:9)
(7 weeks after Passover) |
4 |
Tammuz |
June - July |
Grape harvest |
|
|
5 |
Ab |
July - Aug |
Early olive harvest
Summer wheat |
|
|
6 |
Elul |
Aug - Sept |
Dates
Summer figs |
|
|
7 |
Tishri
start of civil year
|
Sept - Oct |
First rains (former rains) |
1st
10th
15-21st
21st
|
Trumpets (Lev 23:24)
Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29, 23:27)
Tabernacles * (Booths, Ingathering) (Lev 23:34, Deut 16:13)
Tabernacles - last day
|
8 |
Marchesvan |
Oct - Nov |
Late olive harvest
Winter figs
Ploughing |
|
|
9 |
Kislev |
Nov - Dec |
Sowing |
25th |
Feast of Light (Hanukkah)
(1 Macc 4:52,59)
(Dedication of the temple) |
10 |
Tebeth |
Dec - Jan |
Rains and snow
(latter rains) |
|
|
11 |
Shebat |
Jan - Feb |
Almond blossom |
|
|
12 |
Adar |
Feb - March |
Citrus fruit harvest |
14th |
Feast of Purim (Esther 9:16) |
13 |
Ve-Adar
(leap month)
|
|
|
|
Once every three years |
* "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will chose: at the festival of unleavened bread, at the festival of weeks, and at the festival of booths" (Deut 16:16, also Ex 23:14-17)