Go to celebrate red apple pickings and go to harvest ripeness of dreams; The moon is hanging in pear-tree branches like a golden boat...
—Zuzanna Ginczanka (Jewish poet, 1917-1944)

Saturday, September 7, 2002 is start of the Jewish year 5763. The Jewish holiday, Rosh HaShanah, actually begins today at sundown. This particular start of the new year, one of several new years celebrated in the Jewish calendar, marks the 6th day of creation when God created man; a birthday of sorts for the people of the world. The festival originates from the idea that God becomes a king over man (Adam) on this day, so it is considered a "coronation ceremony" with both a solemn and joyful attitude.

The name "Rosh HaShanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom HaZikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25. More information.

Instead of the Gregorian calendar, the Jewish calendar follows the lunar phases, as calculated and introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar. The system proved so popular that it remained a fixture well beyond fall of the Roman Empire. Catholic Europe used it for 15 centuries and Protestant England for an additional 200 years, while the state of Israel and its descendants continue to follow the Julian system today.

Go stargazing tonight: there's a new moon, so the stars will be more visible and brilliant. Visit StarDate to find out why 1752 AD was the shortest year in England.

Learn more about the upcoming month of Tishrei.