Hanukkah is the Jewish “Festival of Lights,” a wintertime holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees in the 2nd century BC. One of the most beloved Jewish holidays, it involves the nightly lighting of a chanukiah (a candelabrum with nine candles).

Purim commemorates the events described in the Book of Esther. It is celebrated by reading or acting out the story of Esther (often by dressing up), and by making a raucous noise at every mention of Haman’s name. During Purim, it is tradition to masquerade in costumes and to gift food and drink to the poor.

Passover commemorates the exodus and liberation of ancient Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. It is one of Judaism’s most significant holidays, lasting eight days. During Passover, observant Jews don’t consume leavened foods to commemorate Jews leaving Egypt so quickly that bread had no time to rise. Passover is often celebrated with great ceremony and intention, especially on the first two nights, when families share a ritual meal, a seder.

Yom HaShoah is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating six million Jewish lives lost during WWII and the Holocaust.

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai, marking the transformation of the Israelites from former slaves into a unified nation with a covenant with God. The holiday is also an ancient agricultural festival that celebrates the end of the wheat harvest and the bringing of “first fruits” to the Temple in Jerusalem. Key traditions include studying Torah, hearing the Ten Commandments read in synagogues, and eating dairy foods. The name Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew and refers to the seven-week period of the “Counting of the Omer” occurring between Passover and Shavuot.

Tisha B’av is the 9th of the month of Av. It is a day of mourning, marking the destruction of the ancient temples in Jerusalem.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebration, encouraging Jews to reflect on the past year and think about the year ahead. Traditional foods include pomegranate and challah and apples dipped in honey, symbolic of the sweet New Year to come. The shofar (a ram’s horn) is blown during the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah and during Rosh Hashanah services.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is one of the most important days on the Jewish calendar that falls exactly 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. Three essential paths—prayer, fasting, and charity—guide observers to this state of atonement. Yom Kippur emphasizes prayers for forgiveness, introspection, spiritual awakening, and tzedakah (charity).

Sukkot is a week-long Jewish holiday celebrating the fall harvest and commemorating the forty years of Israelites wandering the desert after leaving Egypt. During Sukkot, people build and live in temporary huts called sukkahs, symbolizing the temporary shelters that God provided following the exodus. Sukkot is therefore known as the Feast of Booths. A holiday of joy, it lasts for 8 days and includes building a sukkah for families and guests.

Simchat Torah literally translates to “Rejoicing with the Torah.” It is known as the celebration of finishing the annual cycle of readings of the Torah, and on the same day, beginning anew, representing the unending circle of the Torah.