As children begin to complete their first month back in public and private schools, there are many religious holy days that occur during the fall season for families who observe the Jewish faith and for families who are friends of the Jewish faith. Mountain Hai is East Boulder County's center for discovering the Spirit Light in our world and embracing acceptance and unity through creative ritual. We are offering a Fall Holyday primer for those who want to keep track of when and how these days are observed. This is only a sketch. For more information, please call on us at 303-927-6534 or contact us at Mountainhai@comcast.net.

Jewish Holydays begin at sundown on the evening before the date that you see on the calendar for the Holyday. Some multi-day holydays include days during which work is not done, as well as intermediate days during which work is permitted. Work may be defined for some as including using electricity, writing and driving. Of course, there are many different levels of observance within the Jewish community and individuals will vary as to how strictly they observe the Holydays.

The Fall Holyday Cycle includes the following religious observances:

Rosh Hashanah (New Year) observance: Thursday, September 13 and Friday, September 14: The first day is widely observed and many public school students will be absent from school. Some families observe both days. Families attend synagogue and eat festive meals.

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) observance: Saturday, September 22: This solemn fast day is widely observed and when Yom Kippur falls on a school day, public school students will be absent from school and participating in religious observances throughout the entire day that end at sundown with a break-the-fast meal. The Kol Nidre service will begin just prior to sundown on the evening before.

Sukkot (Festival of Booths) begins on Thursday, September 27 through Thursday, October 4. This is a multi-day Holyday observance during which the first two days and the last day are considered non-work days. Families often build temporary huts where they eat their meals. These are major joyous Holydays but few public school students will observe them.

Simchat Torah (the Joy of receiving Torah) is observed on Friday, October 5: This is the last day of the Fall Holyday cycle. Jews complete the reading of the Torah (The Five Books of Moses) and begin reading it again. This is a major, joyous non-work holiday but public school students observe it based on their family's level of observance.