Rosh Hashanah means 'the head of the year' and is the Jewish New Year. The Jews have their own calendar, so New Year is not on 1st January. It is in late September or early October. Years are also numbered in a different way. They are 3,761 years ahead of the Christian calendar.

Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world and the human race. During the festival, Jews recall how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Rosh Hashanah is a day of rest and a day for new beginnings. The festival is also the start of the most solemn part of the year, which lasts for ten days. These ten days are called the Days of Repentance.

Like all Jewish festivals, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset. At home, many Jews have a special evening meal. Sometimes this is fish to express the hope that a family's good deeds during the coming year will be as numerous as shoals of fish. A special part of the meal is eating pieces of apple dipped in honey. Just before these are eaten, the following prayer is recited:

'Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the tree. May it be your will, God and God of our fathers, to renew us in a good and sweet year.'

To reinforce the idea of God as king, some Jewish families bake bread in the shape of a crown.

A special synagogue service is held during the day time at Rosh Hashanah. It is like a Sabbath service, but there are extra prayers and songs that help people think about their lives. One of the readings is the story of creation. There is also a part of the service when a horn, called a shofar, is blown many times. The shofar is made of a horn from an animal (usually a ram) that is cleaned and hollowed out with a mouthpiece cut into the narrow end. It can produce a very loud note, which reminds people that God is very powerful, and they must listen to him.

At Rosh Hashanah, Jews greet each other with 'L' shanah tovah!' which means 'Have a good year!'