Lesson 141: Holidays and Traditions
So much of Israeli life is organised around the holidays, each with its own foods, customs, and greetings. Being able to ask and talk about them is a doorway into the culture itself.
Celebrating the New Year
אֵיךְ אַתֶּם חוֹגְגִים אֶת רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה?
eich atem chogegim et rosh hashana?
How do you celebrate Rosh Hashana?
כָּל הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה נִפְגֶּשֶׁת לִסְעֻדָּה חֲגִיגִית.
kol hamishpacha nifgeshet lise’uda chagigit.
The whole family gathers for a festive meal.
וְיֵשׁ מִנְהָגִים מְיֻחָדִים?
ve’yesh minhagim meyuchadim?
And are there special customs?
אוֹכְלִים תַּפּוּחַ בִּדְבַשׁ לְשָׁנָה מְתוּקָה.
ochlim tapuach bidvash leshana metuka.
We eat apple in honey for a sweet year.
מִנְהָג יָפֶה!
minhag yafe!
A beautiful custom!
Culture: the festive calendar
The everyday word for a holiday is חַג (chag), and the all-purpose greeting is חַג שָׂמֵחַ (chag sameach, “happy holiday”). A few of the big ones:
| Hebrew | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה | rosh hashana | the New Year |
| פֶּסַח | pesach | Passover |
| חֲנֻכָּה | chanuka | Hanukkah |
| שַׁבָּת | shabbat | the Sabbath (weekly) |
The two key nouns for talking about a holiday are מִנְהָג (minhag, “custom”) and סְעֻדָּה (se’uda, “festive meal”), with the verb לַחְגֹּג (lachgog, “to celebrate”).
Tip: Each holiday also has its own greeting — שָׁנָה טוֹבָה (shana tova, “good year”) at Rosh Hashana, שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם (shabbat shalom) on the Sabbath. Using the right one is a small but telling sign of fluency.
Vocabulary
Holidays
| חַג | chag | holiday, festival |
| מִנְהָג | minhag | custom, tradition |
| סְעֻדָּה | se’uda | festive meal |
| לַחְגֹּג | lachgog | to celebrate |
Greetings
| חַג שָׂמֵחַ | chag sameach | happy holiday |
| שָׁנָה טוֹבָה | shana tova | happy New Year |
| חֲגִיגִי | chagigi | festive |