3 fun and family-friendly Rosh Hashanah traditional activities

Rosh Hashanah is an important holiday in the Jewish calendar, and it marks the start of a New Year. While the holiday involves attending services and other traditional religious rituals, there are lots of fun traditions that families can do together to make the new year happy and sweet.

• Eating apples and honey is one of the most important parts of celebrating Rosh Hashanah. The sweet combination is meant to symbol the sweetness you hope for in the year to come.
• To make eating apples and honey a family tradition, go apple picking at a local apple orchard with your entire family.
• Let everyone fill up a container with apples, then purchase them and bring them home. When it comes time for Rosh Hashanah, cut the apples up into pieces, then serve them with bowls of honey for people to dip into.
• Everyone will enjoy getting to eat the fruit they picked. You can add variety to the activity by letting each family member pick a different type of apple and seeing which kind everyone likes the best.
• You can buy different types of honey from the farms you visit to see what honey you like eating best, as well.

• Challah is a traditional sweet loaf of bread that is eaten every Sabbath in the Jewish tradition. Usually, two long and thin challahs are eaten by families.
• On Rosh Hashanah, however, challahs are made to be round, since they are meant to represent the circle of time and the cycle of life and the seasons as we begin a new year.
• So, make two large round challahs with your family on Rosh Hashanah to celebrate the holiday.
• For a guide on how to braid a round challah, check out some helpful instructions here.
• You can also make flavoured challahs for the sweet new year, like cinnamon raisin challahs or chocolate chip ones.

• The new year is a special time in the Jewish year for atonement, and it's traditional for people to apologize to the people they love for any way they might have wronged or upset them.
• Have your family members write each other cards with their apologies, but also have them include hopes and dreams for the New Year.
• Writing letters can bring family members closer together, and mixing in the sweet with bitter is a good way to start the new year.