Emporiblog - Tu B'Shevat

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Hello all! Today's post is about the Jewish festival of Tu B'Shevat!



Tu B'Shevat, also known as Arbor Day, Rosh HaShanah La'ilanot and The Birthday of The Trees, begins at sunset today (January 16th) and ends January 17th in the evening this year, has no fixed date of celebration and is one of 4 Jewish new years.



In Israel, the climate is considerably different to our own in the UK. While we're in the grips of Winter, it is our equivalent of Spring, hence why the name the Birthday of The Trees may sound strange to us for our perceived time of the year. 




Origins

The translation of Tu B'Shevat is "the 15th of Shavet", which has become the specified date of the New Year of The Trees in Hebrew. In the Torah, it is specifically stated that Jew are forbidden to eat the fruit of freshly planted trees for 3 years from said trees planting. On the tree's 4th year, the fruit was taken and ti'thed to the temple, meaning that one tenth of the fruit was given to the temple. This sort of tribute is traditionally an agricultural tribute.




Customs

Over the years, Tu B'Shevat gained more and more religious significance. In the 1600s, a Kabbalistic fruit eating ceremony (similar to the ceder at Passover) was added to the festival. Which is why Jews now eat fruit on Tu B'Shevat, with a particular focus on:

- Grapes
- Wheat
- Figs
- Pomegranates
- Barley
- Dates
- Olives

These ones in particular are the 7 "fruits" praised in the Torah. Other fruits consumed are those associated with Israel. After the fruit has been eaten, a short blessing is recited and if any of the special 7 have been eaten, a longer, special, blessing is to be recited. 

It is also encouraged for Jews to try new fruit on Tu B'Shevat, any new fruit tried will also have a blessing recited after eating. Hassidic Jews can also use this day to prey for an etrog to be perfect. An etrog is a kind of citrus fruit that is used for Sukkot, another Jewish festival. 




I think we'll leave this here! If I have gotten any spellings or information wrong, please let me know so I can correct it as soon as possible!

This is our first post on a celebration from another culture and I aim to carry on with more throughout the year. These posts will go under our History/Folklore tag. 



I hope you've enjoyed this post!

Blessings,

C )0(

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

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